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Your feet are complicated: 26 bones meet at 33 joints. Meanwhile, more than 100 muscles, ligaments, and tendons work together to keep you balanced and mobile. Clearly, there’s a lot going on.
It’s unsurprising, then, that even a small issue can cause a cascade of effects. Just one portion of your feet being out of alignment or overtaxed can ripple out, leading to enough discomfort to keep you off your feet.
Fortunately, the reverse is true. Offering your foot support where it needs it can correct the minor issue causing major problems. Plus, adding that support can be relatively easy. In a lot of cases, it can take the form of custom orthotics.
In fact, William T. DeCarbo, DPM, FACFAS, and our team might recommend orthotics to address everything from Achilles tendinitis to hammertoe. Here at Greater Pittsburgh Foot & Ankle Center in Wexford, Pennsylvania, we can help you explore what orthotics can do for you.
Understanding orthotics
Orthotics are customized inserts you slide into your shoe. They’re a little like the over-the-counter shoe inserts you’ve probably seen at a drugstore — except for one key difference. When Dr. DeCarbo recommends orthotics, we make them for your specific feet.
This way, the orthotic can give your foot what it needs to function its best. That might mean accommodative orthotics to provide extra cushioning or rigid ones to encourage your foot to move in a specific way. Dr. DeCarbo identifies the right type of orthotic for your specific foot issue.
How, exactly, does the orthotic help to restore your foot health? It works by helping your foot in a specific way. With rigid orthotics, that means improved alignment. The orthotic guides your foot as you move, helping to gently correct irregularities over time. With accommodative orthotics, that means providing the cushion needed for areas of inflammation, calluses, and more to heal.
Foot issues orthotics can help
Customized shoe inserts can’t solve all foot issues, but they can address quite a few conditions.
Dr. DeCarbo might suggest orthotics to support your foot health if you have:
- Bunions
- Plantar fasciitis
- Corns
- Hammertoe
- Calluses
- A high arch
- Flatfoot
- Achilles tendon issues
- Morton’s neuroma
- Knee or foot pain
- Diabetic foot ulcers
Long story short, custom orthotics might give your foot what it needs if you’re dealing with a number of the most common podiatry problems. To learn what personalized shoe inserts could do for you and how they can help to restore your foot health, call our office or book your appointment online.