7 Healthy Foot Benefits of Orthopedic Shoes

Flats, high heels, stilettos, wedges – the list of footwear varieties are endless. While there are many many types of footwear in the market, why opt for orthopedic shoes?  

Orthopedic footwear is specially designed by foot specialists to promote foot health. They are prescribed by podiatrists or foot doctors to treat medical conditions of the foot or some foot deformities. 

Custom-made foot orthotics are specialized footwear tailor-made to suit the anatomy of your foot. They provide cushioning and support to select points of your feet. They are intended to alleviate foot pain and provide relief for foot ailments.

Our foot specialists in Calgary explain many more benefits of using orthopedic shoes as listed below:

7 healthy advantages of orthopedic shoes

Supports heels and arches

Orthopedic footwear provides support to both your arches and heels. They help to align your feet and correct flat feet. 

Most common foot issues like plantar fasciitis arise due to misalignment of the feet. You can use custom orthotics or shoe inserts in your everyday shoes to reduce the pain caused by such foot conditions. If the pain is too much to handle, you must opt for a good pair of orthopedic shoes.

Reduces foot pain

A person walks 5,000-10,000 steps a day, on average. If you do not wear the right kind of shoes while walking this many steps, you are bound to damage your feet.

The first indication of foot damage is shooting or pricking pain in the foot. This pain must be immediately addressed before it develops into severe conditions like plantar heel pain. 

The links between foot pain and footwear can be easily felt when you substitute your regular shoes with a pair of custom orthopedic ones. There is tremendous relief in plantar heel pain that patients feel when they use a pair of orthotics or ortho shoes.

Improves blood circulation

Diabetic neuropathy is often the cause of foot pain. For diabetic patients, the lack of blood flow into the nerves of the foot causes severe pain.

Diabetic Foot Ulcer Recurrence is also due to poor blood circulation. When this happens, the diabetic patient loses sensation in his or her feet. Due to a lack of sensation, any foot injuries caused may go unnoticed. This causes diabetic foot ulcer recurrence. The best solution to this is the use of diabetic shoes.

Diabetic shoes improve the blood flow to the feet allowing them to function well.  In fact, it saves diabetics from losing a foot as repeated diabetic foot ulcer recurrence can even require amputation of the foot.

Rectifies foot deformities

A foot deformity is a condition where the shape of the foot is deformed. This can include hammertoes or claw toes or an outgrowth like bunions or corn. Hallux valgus, or bunions, are the most common foot deformities seen in patients. The use of an effective insole or bunion shield can help patients overcome this defect without surgery.

Such foot disorders can be rectified by the use of specialized footwear or therapeutic shoes as well. 

Custom-made foot orthotics can provide extra heel support or cushioning for the toe joints to help rectify these minor foot deformities.

Avoids foot surgery 

Certain foot conditions might need surgery but this too can be avoided by therapeutic footwear interventions.

For instance, patients with knee osteoarthritis find relief when they use lateral wedge insoles. Medial knee osteoarthritis causes pain in the knee joints due to bone arthritis. This condition needs surgery but this can be avoided by using prosthetic footwear with lateral wedge insoles. Using such lateral wedge orthotics is much cheaper and less intrusive than opting for foot surgery.

Provides equal mobility

Conditions like flat toes, mallet toes, ingrown toenails or bunions can slow down the walking pace of an individual. The use of supportive shoes enables the affected individual to move freely. This is why foot health care providers or your pedorthist may suggest custom foot orthotics to enhance your mobility.

Promotes good health

A good walk is recommended every day to promote good health. But this walking should be done with the right pairs of inserts. Rehabilitative foot orthotics can help you walk well and hence, sleep well. This proves the effectiveness of foot orthotics in promoting good health.

Effects of foot orthotics and custom-made orthopedic shoes on patients

Foot orthotics are much needed for patients with poor knee adductor movement. Biomechanical analysis has revealed that the use of custom-moulded shoes has helped problems in the hindfoot such as bursitis, tendonitis, arthritis, etc.

Rheumatic diseases and vascular diseases find significant improvement with the use of prosthetic shoes and soft orthotics. Even minor sole replacements or the use of custom moulded shoes can act as orthotics in patients. Instead of using expensive medical devices to treat foot disorders, therapeutic shoes must be included in the treatment plans to accelerate progress. 

There are a variety of choices including flat insoles, neutral insoles, or conventional insoles but use only those therapeutic shoes or orthotics prescribed by your foot doctor. Only an expert foot specialist can tell you what type of foot insole or orthotic shoes you need. For instance, rigid orthotics help in solving in-toeing or out-toeing foot disorders while soft orthotics can help with foot deformities and arthritis. After analyzing your foot condition, we recommend the best orthotics or footwear for your specific foot conditions.

The human feet are the pillars of the body. They withstand our weight and give us our balance. Protect them well using the right kind of orthopedic shoes or custom orthotics prescribed by a professional foot specialist from Shoe Solutions.

Visit Shoe Solutions Calgary and meet our expert pedorthists for your custom-made foot orthotics and live life a better way.