Orthotics: Is Your Back Pain All in Your Foot?
There are literally millions of people who suffer some sort of back pain in the United States alone. Some have lower back pain, others mid, and still others neck pain. The consistent issue with all of these patients is imbalance in their spine. Whether the condition be due to poor posture, trauma, or hereditary factors, the fact remains that back pain can interrupt a person's life and lifestyle.During the last 27 years of active chiropractic practice I have utilized a variety of treatment techniques that have consistently proven effective in treating the majority of spinal conditions that have entered my office. Always looking for better and more efficient ways to help patients led me to direct my attention to support the spine AFTER the patient had received their treatment.
Let's go over a bit of anatomy to understand the benefits of orthotics. Your foot has not one, but three arches. There are two arches that travel the length of your foot, one on this inside of the bottom of your foot, and the other on the outside of the bottom of your foot. The third arch is called the transverse arch. It is located across the bottom of your toes, sometimes called the ball of your foot. All three of these arches work together to support the foot. In turn the foot supports the ankles, knees, and eventually the spine.
As we get older or if we continue to wear shoes that are not very supportive, the arches have a tendency to drop. As the arch drops the support required diminishes and affects the entire structure. Typically, the outside arch is the first to start dropping.
I have noticed some patients wearing over the counter arch supports. While these may feel comfortable, they certainly are not made to specifically help YOUR condition. Many professionials that make customized orthotics still use old technology to make the support. The patient steps into a foam cast which is then sent to the orthotic company for production of the orthotic. The problem that I have seen is that it is difficult if not impossible to make a perfect cast using this old technology.
Thankfully, technology has developed that digitizes the process. Use of an electronic digital scanner takes multiple measurements to give the most accurate casting procedure possible. In my office this has allowed patients who previously had chronic lower back pain, to finally get the support their conditions required. This meant less pain, less treatment, and more consistent results.
