Beyond Foot Pain: 5 Benefits of Custom Orthotics You Didn't Know About

As the very foundation of your support and mobility, it’s hard to overstate the importance of your feet. Every waking moment, they’re propelling and carrying you through life, which means any support you can provide them in this Herculean role is well-earned. 

One of the best ways to provide this support is through custom orthotics, which not only help with foot pain, but provide a number of other benefits.

At Arizona Foot & Ankle Specialists, under the expert direction of Dr. Samuel Cox, our team understands the enormous role your feet play in your life, and we do everything possible to ensure they’re up to the task. As part of our extensive services, we offer custom orthotics, helping our Goodyear patients conquer foot pain, and much more.

Here’s a look at five benefits of custom orthotics that go beyond relieving foot pain.

1. Everything is connected

Take a moment to consider all that your feet are responsible for in terms of balance, support, and mobility. Now consider their size. It’s incredible to think that these relatively tiny appendages bear the entire burden of your musculoskeletal structure, while also enabling you to make your way through life.

But your feet are far from alone in these efforts — they’re simply ground zero. From your feet, your ankles, knees, hips, and back also engage to keep you up and moving. This means that even a small problem in your feet has the potential of setting up a biomechanical system that’s out of alignment.

For example, if your feet turn inward, the effects can reverberate up through the major joints in your legs and even put your back out of alignment.

With custom orthotics, we ensure that we lay the proper foundation, allowing the rest of your body to function optimally.

2. A boost in performance

Many of our clients enjoy various athletic pursuits, from grabbing a few sets on the tennis court to hitting the trails for running. 

With custom orthotics, we can evaluate these added stresses on your feet and provide you with inserts that are designed to help you better withstand the rigors of your chosen activity. This not only protects your feet, but it can boost your performance, as well.

3. Going the distance

If we haven’t already made this clear, your feet work incredibly hard. With custom orthotics, we can help your feet go the distance, keeping up with all of your activities with ease. 

For example, if you spend a lot of time on your feet for work, custom orthotics can help keep them (and the rest of your body) from becoming overstressed or tired by providing critical support.

4. Gait correction

Another great benefit of custom orthotics is our ability to correct your gait. If you tend to overpronate (your ankles collapse inward) or supinate (your ankles lean outward), we can easily remedy these issues with custom orthotics. 

Not only does this help with your alignment, we can also prevent you from wearing down your shoes irregularly, as well as create a more cosmetically appealing gait.

5. An ounce of prevention

One of the biggest advantages of custom orthotics is that they can help you avoid a number of problems in the first place. If you have structural issues or pre-existing medical conditions like diabetes, don’t wait until pain sets in to get orthotics. By taking action ahead of time, you can avoid foot pain altogether, which make orthotics a wise choice in preventive care.

To get your custom orthotics, please give us a call at 623-935-5780 or use our convenient online booking tool to set up an appointment.