What about NON-Foot ailments? These orthotics can also help with pains above the feet, such as ankle, knee, hip, lower back, upper back, and neck and shoulder muscle tension.
This section shows some common foot ailments that are helped by the orthotics we provide. For more information see the FAQ page.
Calluses and Corns
Underlying muscle problems can cause uneven pressures and excessive irritation.
Where shoes repeatedly rub, dead skin cells pile up, creating calluses on the bottom of the foot and corns on the toes.
Our supports equalize the the pressure on the bottoms of the foot, which helps relieve this tendency.
Hammertoes
Produced by a muscle imbalance which causes the end joints of one or two (or more) smaller toes to bend down, while the closer joints bend up. Another symptom may be toes crossing over other toes.
Our supports help this problem by supporting the metatarsal arch, which in turn normalizes the toes positions so they can participate in foot function.
Bunions
Bunions are a response to too much pressure or stress in the toe joint. They can become painful when the bursa sac becomes inflamed from irritation caused by First Toe deviation caused by shoes, spreading of the forefoot, pronation, supination, or muscle imbalance.
Over many years this may develop into bone deposits that cause pain and stiffness, interfere with lifestyle, and do not fit well in shoes.
Avoid surgery! Metatarsal arch support is the critical factor in relieving this problem. Our orthotics lift the metatarsal arch, dispersing pressure away from the joint, and allowing the toe to begin straightening to a normal position.
Plantar Neuroma
A nerve growth that often accompanies metatarsalgia.
It develops when the nerve between two metatarsal heads is pinched and bruised.
Symptom: a burning numbness or electric shock sensation in the ball of the foot or toes caused by tight shoes, repeated impacts or jolts to the forefoot or by an imbalanced metatarsal arch.
The nerves that feed to the toes run in the spaces between the metatarsal heads located in the ball of the foot.
As with bunions, metatarsal arch support is the key to restoring normal bone position and the nerve spaces between them.
Heel Pain
A chronic inflammation or degeneration of the plantar fascia, a ligament like structure that passes from the heel to forefoot. The inflammation is caused by the fascia partially pulling away from its anchor point at the heel, or from overstretching. A bony spur (which may or may not cause pain) can also develop here, caused by excessive heel rotation, excessive heel pounding, longitudinal arch weakness, and/or overly tight plantar muscles (muscles in the arch of the foot).
Pain may be present at all times, may be only after rest, or may come and go.
To help relieve heel pain we must first put the muscles in the bottom of the foot at rest.
Our orthotics support the arches naturally, like stepping in soft ground barefoot. This, combined with the corrective metatarsal arch support built-in to the orthotics, reduces the excessive pulling of the plantar fascia at the attachment points at the heel. Much of the heel pain is relieved immediately, and over time, the plantar fascia has an opportunity to gradually heal and become pain free.