Orthopedic Shoe Inserts - What They Are And How They Can Help Your Foot Pain

Your feet are the foundation of your body. When they are not properly aligned with other joints and limbs it has a negative knock-on effect on other areas of your body. Experiencing discomfort in your knees, ankles, lower back and legs is very common for people who suffer from foot pain.

Majority of people experience foot problems due to poor biomechanics. This can lead to ailments such as: Plantar Fasciitis, Ball of Foot Pain, Achilles Tendonitis, metatarsalgia and Morton's Neuroma. That is what has prompted medical professionals to start prescribing orthopedic shoe inserts as an effective therapy to treat various foot problems.

Orthopedic shoe inserts are devices which are placed on the inside of your shoe and their aim is to move the foot to its neutral position, thereby restoring normal foot function. They are effective because they distribute the weight across the foot equally. This provides relief by taking the pressure off the spots where people tend to experience most pain: ball of the foot, heel, bunions and corns.

Over-pronation of the feet is the main reason people experience foot problems. Scientifically speaking, it causes the lower leg to rotate inwards which in turn makes the pelvis tilt forward. This places a lot of strain knees, lower back and legs. Orthopedic shoe inserts correct the degree of over-pronation and thus decrease internal rotation of the leg and forward pelvic tilt.

Orthopedic shoe inserts differ in many ways to ordinary shoe insoles. While they may be relatively comfortable when one starts wearing them, regular shoe insoles are mostly meant to provide shock absorption and cushioning for the foot. In other words, they do not address any of the biomechanical issues that cause one to experiences foot problems in the first place.

Orthopedic shoe inserts on the hand are made exclusively for functional purposes, i.e. they correct biomechanical function of feet. While some manufacturers produce regular shoe insoles that provide arch support, they are mostly insufficient as they are most often made from soft materials.

Many people have questioned the effectiveness of orthopedic shoe inserts as a means of correcting foot function. However, various studies have proven that most people show more than 50% improvement in terms of pain alleviation in ankles, feet and knees after wearing orthopedic shoe inserts.

Orthopedic shoe inserts are mostly inexpensive. So buying a pair can be a very worthwhile investment that doesn't require you to dip into your life savings.

The main goal of orthotic insoles is to make foot function better and prevent future injuries. Most importantly, they will make you feel better and enable you to live a pain-free life.