The Problem:
We all know that foot pain can turn a good day into a bad one. It can stop you from walking for exercise, and make a simple trip to the store an ordeal you want to procrastinate. You’ve tried “gellin”, those infomercial inserts, high dollar shoes with little to no decrease in pain. You’ve noticed that it’s harder to be optimistic when you feet hurt, and your patience runs thin. Foot pain even makes your knees and back hurt more.
The Reason:
- There are 26 foot bones. One-quarter of the bones in your body are in your feet…
- 7 tarsal (ankle) bones, 5 metatarsal (mid foot) bones, and 14 phalanges (toe bones)
- 33 joints
- More than 100 muscles, tendons (fibrous tissues that connect muscles to bones), and ligaments (fibrous tissues that connect bones to other bones)
- AND, a network of blood vessels, nerves, skin, and soft tissue.
And all of these have to work in harmony in order for the miracle of walking, or even standing upright, to occur.
There are 3 arches that need to be maintained for the foot to move and work correctly. The largest (and most important) is the medial longitudinal arch (the inside of your foot from heel to toes, commonly called “the arch”). Next, there is the lateral longitudinal arch (not nearly as high as the medial, yet still important for function) and the transverse arch that goes cross-wise to the longitudinal arches.
The arches are maintained by the shape of the bones, and the ligaments, tendons, and muscles. All of these components when working the way they were designed allow movement, shock absorption, and propulsion… let the feet do what we want them to do.
When this incredibly complex mechanism doesn’t work right (faulty biomechanics), symptoms (like aching, stiffness, pain, numbness, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, bunions, corns, or calluses) can occur.
The Answer is custom orthotics.
We cast your feet in foam and send the molds off to Footlevelers in Virginia. When we cast your feet, we do it in weight bearing (standing) position, which shows the faults most effectively. They create custom orthotics specifically for your feet, activity level, and shoe style, and send them back to us. We can specify for correction of pronation, supination, heel spurs, shoe type (dress, athletic, work boots, low heels, etc.), have magnets inserted, and customize the leather footbeds for heavy wear, sweating problems, extra cushioning, etc.
I have been wearing Footlevelers for 27 years now… I have run over 20,000 miles wearing them (not the same pair, of course), ski with them in my boots, wouldn’t hike or backpack without them, have them in my work shoes, my casual shoes, and my sandals.
I have fit over 1000 patients with Footlevelers custom orthotics with rave reviews and stories of being able to walk for miles again without pain, get up in the morning without having to hobble around for a few minutes, hanging up canes, stop taking Advil.
Come in and talk to us about orthotics. They might be the answer you’ve been searching for.
Michael Davis, DC
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