The way that our feet move and take the load from our bodies will affect where the forces are distributed. If the pressure is transferred correctly, our posture should be good, requiring little energy to sit and stand upright, thus standing correctly will be comfortable. If however, the pressure is not distributed correctly, extra pressure will move to different parts of our body – our ankle, knee, hip, lower back, or neck. If this occurs for long enough, we have more chance of injury and joint degeneration in whichever joints are affected.
Traditionally, firm orthotics that “support” the arch of the foot are prescribed. While this can improve symptoms for some people, because all they are doing is directly stopping the body from moving in a way that the body wants or “needs” to move, they often cause discomfort and injury further down the track – just at a different site to where it was before.
Research suggests that innersoles that improve proprioception – our body’s understanding of where body parts are in space and in relation to each other can have profound effects on posture and many problems related to high arches and flat feet – including, but not limited to bunions, hammer toe and Morton’s neuroma.
These innersoles work when the feet are active and most effective if used with 30min exercise 3 times a week. There are much smaller that traditional orthotics and can be worn in some high heels
Orthotic “treatment” involves
assessment of the foot and posture
use of photos capturing dynamic motion – to determine posture with and without the innersole stimulation
fitting of the innersoles – only if the photos show an improvement in posture
a few regular Osteopathic treatments (to ensure that the body is able to make the required changes to joints etc that have been moving in a set way for some many years that thus may initially be “stuck”)
reassessment after 6 months
More information can be found at www.correctposture.com.au