We recommend custom orthotic inserts for patients dealing with a variety of issues, and although the majority of our focus is on how the insert will help your feet, these orthotics can be beneficial for a number of different areas of your body. If you’ve been told that a custom orthotic may help treat your foot symptoms, you may soon find that other areas of your body start to feel more spry as well. Today, we take a closer look at the total body impact of a great pair of custom orthotics.
Jenga Joints
We put a lot of stress on our feet every day, and it’s incredibly important to have a strong and stable base to be able to handle this strain. Much like the foundation of a house supports the upper parts, your feet act as a vital base for joints higher up in your body. We oftentimes compare our feet and the joints above them to a Jenga tower. If you have a very weak base in your Jenga tower, all of the tiles above the base become less stable and less capable of handling pressure. The tower is more likely to fall no matter where you try to pull a tile from because of the compromised base.
When our feet are compromised, a number of different joints feel the impact of the loss in stability. Custom orthotics can help shift how stress is dispersed in our feet and restore stability to our base and the joints above it. Patients with flat feet, high arches or plantar fasciitis oftentimes have related issues in areas of the body that are being forced to handle more stress due to the loss in stability at the base.
Some joints and areas that can become stronger and more stable with the help of custom foot orthotics include:
- Ankles
- Knees
- Hips
- Lower Back
- Shoulders
- Neck
Pain or degenerative symptoms are especially common in areas like the knees and hips, which are oftentimes forced to handle more stress as a result of gait changes or stability issues in the feet. Addressing the base can help take pressure off all of the connected systems, and you may notice that one small change can have you moving much more fluidly.
So if you are dealing with foot pain or a structural issue that would respond well to orthotic inserts, talk with a foot and ankle specialist before the underlying problem leads to pain in other connected joints. Take the first step in restoring normal movement by addressing the base of your Jenga tower – your feet!