June 2nd, 2008
Since opening 360 Foot Care Center, we often have customers who come to us with complaints about foot pain and even musculoskeletal complaints like knee, hip, back or ankle pain. The customer will say that they always buy “good shoes with good arch support” in the shoe. We then attempt to educate the customer about the difference between the insert that comes with your shoes, over the counter arch supports and custom made orthotics.
To begin, very seldom will any shoe that you purchase have appropriate support for the foot. Proper support for the foot generally means having the ability to position the foot to a more suitable position. Often when people are having problems associated with their feet, it is due to some type of malfunction of the foot, such as over pronation, supination or just bad positioning of the foot as the bones and joints move about from walking or standing. Usually, to correct these types of problems it means that some effort or force has to move the foot and its joints or to better hold them in a certain position. In almost all cases, it takes a fairly firm device that is inserted into the shoe to accomplish these possible motions.
When you purchase shoes, there is an insert that comes inside the shoe. These same types of products (I.e. inserts) are what you purchase in most drug stores and super markets. Usually these inserts are made of foam rubber. The obvious purpose of these devices is to provide cushioning and thus comfort to the purchaser. Because rubber flattens it generally does not have the level of firmness that might be needed to reposition the foot and or its joints in order to achieve pain relief. While cushioning is good it does not help to resolved biomechanical problems that a person might be experiencing. Hence, no relief or minimal relief can be obtained from inserts.
Arch supports tend to be the mid-way between the cushioned insert and the traditional very firm custom made orthotic. While arch supports can be soft and slightly more firm than an insert they can also reach the firmness of custom made orthotics. Usually, however, they are pretty much in the middle. Arch Supports are typically made of firm plastic (polymers) or rubber. They are made to achieve the affect of custom made orthotics but at a fraction of the cost. Arch Supports, generally will help people resolve many biomechanical problems without the need to obtain more expensive custom made orthotics. They are also easier to adjust to and will generally fit into shoes that custom orthotics will not. Arch Supports will generally work for problems like sore feet, sore arches, some joint pain in knees, hip and lower back, plantar fasciitis, heel pain and forefoot pain. Custom made orthotics are just that, custom made. Generally, in order to get custom orthotics, the customer / patient will need to have a doctor’s prescription. A mold is taken of the foot and the orthotic is fabricated with various degrees of wedge ankles in order to reposition the foot.
In summary, know what you want or need. In most cases people benefit greatly from wearing the correct arch support. In fact, a large number of feet problems or feet related problems can be addressed with a good arch support. In more severe cases people may need to seek the advice of a physician and receive a prescription for custom made orthotics.
About the Author: Milton is Vice President of 360 Foot Care. A Certified Pedorthist, Milton is trained on the foot and feet conditions. Visit 360footcare.com to see more on various health conditions and the 360 Foot Care products that are available to help you in achieving your health goals.
360 FOOTCARE Website Discalimer:
ATTENTION: This information is not intended as medical advice or solutions. The information is offered for educational purposes only. Only a certified medical practioner can diagnose medical conditions. You should always consult your medical practioner if you have questions about a medical issue. Always follow your medical professional’s advice.
Tags: aching feet, Add new tag, arch supports, back pain, feet pain, foot pain, hip pain, inserts, knee pain, orthotics, sore feet
Posted in Orthopedic Supplies, Orthopedic shoes, arch supports | No Comments »
April 8th, 2008
When the 360 Foot Care Center first opened we discovered a trend. Approximately 65% of our visitors complained about heel pain. In some cases people had visited their physician and were given a specific diagnosis. In other cases people came in with a complaint that was pretty consistent for the 65%, ” my heel hurts especially when I first get up in the morning or when I stand after sitting for a while. It goes away after I take a few steps. ”
Recent news stories confirm the fact that plantar fasciitis has exploded within the U.S. with many people seeking medical treatment and other treatment strategies. There has also been a corresponding explosion of products that pledge to prevent or successfully treat the condition. In the case of our visitors who had received medical diagnosis, they uniformally were diagnosis with plantar fasciitis. For visitors who had not received a medical diagnosis we explained and described the various conditions that could create heel pain without giving a specific diagnosis. We encouraged them to seek medical advice. Invariably most would return to 360 Foot Care with a specific diagnosis of plantar fasciitis.
What is plantar fasciitis and what are some of the non-medical treatments for the condition?
Nationally, members of the medical profession agree that over the past few years there has been an explosion of people experiencing heel pain and most notably plantar fasciitis. Essentially, plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia ligament. The plantar fascia ligament is a large thick fiber that runs along the bottom of the foot, roughly from the heel to the ball of the foot. The ligament serves several purposes one of which is to provide the foot with a certain level of natural cushioning. For several reasons, for example stress or trauma, this band of tissue can become inflamed and when this occurs there is usually pain anywhere along the ligament. Ultimately, most people experiencing this inflammation will complain about heel pain.
There are numerous non-medical treatments for plantar fasciitis. Seeing a medical professional is always advised. At 360 Foot Care we try to offer options that have proven successful for our customers/patients. Taking stress off of the ligament has proven successful in the vast majority of our cases. Wearing a good rigid/semi-rigid arch support, over time, has proven beneficial. In most cases we recommend wearing both a good arch support and Spira shoes. This combination has had the best result for minimizing stresses on the plantar facia and over time allows the inflammation to subside thereby alleviating the pain associated with the condition. We also recommend this combination as a means to help minimize the occurrence of the condition in the first instance.
Additionally, there are exercises that can be done to help stretch and strengthen the plantar facia. Our plantar facia night splint is useful and can help minimize the pain often experienced early mornings when you first stand from a long night sleep. We recommend the splint or a short period of stretching for persons prior to getting out of bed. Many of our customers/patients are on their feet for long periods of time. Waiters, teachers, nurses, retail sales reps and many others have found significant releif from our combination of arch supports, Spira shoes and night splint.
About the Author: Milton is Vice President of 360 Foot Care. A Certified Pedorthist, Milton is trained on the foot and feet conditions. Visit 360footcare.com to see more on various health conditions and the 360 Foot Care products that are available to help you in achieving your health goals.
360 FOOTCARE Website Discalimer:
ATTENTION: This information is not intended as medical advice or solutions. The information is offered for educational purposes only. Only a certified medical practioner can diagnose medical conditions. You should always consult your medical practioner if you have questions about a medical issue. Always follow your medical professional’s advice.
Tags: arch pain, Foot Care, foot pain, heel pain, plantar fasciitis, spira shoes
Posted in Orthopedic Supplies, arch supports, spira shoes | No Comments »
March 31st, 2008
Today, most Americans live extremely active lifestyles. We find ourselves on our feet for long hours. We engage in a wide variety of activities including shopping, sports, work and other activities. For many of us, we usually pay very little if any attention to our feet except for fashion purposes. Unless we are having or have experienced feet problems, we allow fashion to dictate the types of shoes that we wear. The problem with fashion as a shopping guide is that very few shoes today are built to provide the type of support or shock absorption that help prevent or alleviate feet problems or feet related problems like knee, hip, back and ankle problems.
There are many feet conditions or feet related conditions that can be prevented or alleviated by wearing appropriate shoes or having appropriate arch support that can be placed in shoes. Providing appropriate arch support or shock absorption can help people experiencing conditions like heel pain, plantar fasciitis, tired and sore feet, heel spurs and other bio-mechanical issues. Obtaining a specific diagnosis from a medical professional can help with selecting the correct products that will prevent or address health concerns.
Appropriate arch support will allow that body’s joints like knees, hips and ankles, to be in better alignment. Having the body in good alignment can help it and your joints to perform as they were intended. Good body alignment can also help to more evenly distribute weight over your feet. Having better weight distribution can help with conditions like heel spurs or pain in the forefoot often attributed to thinning foot padding. Wearing good shock absorbing shoes like Spira can help absorb stress and shock off of the body’s joints. Clearly a good rigid, not rubber, arch support and Spira shock absorbing shoes are a great combination to prevent or alleviate many health conditions related to your feet.
About the Author: Milton is Vice President of 360 Foot Care. A Certified Pedorthist, Milton is trained on the foot and feet conditions. Visit 360footcare.com to see more on various health conditions and the 360 Foot Care products that are available to help you in achieving your health goals.
360 FOOTCARE Website Discalimer:
ATTENTION: This information is not intended as medical advice or solutions. The information is offered for educational purposes only. Only a certified medical practioner can diagnose medical conditions. You should always consult your medical practioner if you have questions about a medical issue. Always follow your medical professional’s advice.
Tags: arch support, arch supports, braces, diabetic shoes, diabetic socks, feet problems, Foot Care, foot support, foot supports, orthotic, orthotics, shoe inserts, spira footwear, spira shoes
Posted in Uncategorized, arch supports, spira shoes | No Comments »