Your foot is an incredible machine comprised of 26 bones that are interconnected by muscles, ligaments and tendons.  The simple act of walking requires a precisely synchronized series of events to occur.  Even slight imbalances of the muscles, ligaments and tendons can result in abnormal foot motion which, besides playing havoc with foot function, can result in abnormal rotation of the legs.  Abnormal foot function can case pain in the joints of the foot, knee and low back.  If not corrected, abnormal foot function can lead to arthritis in the joints of the foot, knee and low back.

Take a few steps and observe what happens to your foot.  There are three main phases of each step.  The first phase of the step is called heel-strike.  Then as you put more weight on you foot you enter the mid-stance phase of the step.  Finally you push off with your toes in the phase called toe-off.  An orthotic is designed to control the motion of the foot from heel strike to toe-off. . Fit specifically to each foot, an orthotic helps realign the foot, supporting and correcting where necessary. Maintaining a healthy well-balanced foot will help relieve pain and fatigue throughout the entire body.

Most over-the counter insoles are referred to as accommodative orthotics that accommodate and cushion the foot but do not change the biomechanics of the foot.  In fact these outlet stores are prohibited from providing an orthotic that alters the biomechanics of the foot without a prescription from a licensed physician.  Prescription orthotics are also called functional orthotics because they correct foot function.  Even if the over-the-counter orthotic does relieve the foot pain that does not mean the abnormal biomechanics have been corrected.  Everyone's feet are different and a precise prescription for each patient is required. Buying an arch support over-the-counter is similar to buying eye glasses off the shelf from the hardware store.  The over-the-counter eyeglasses may help some people to a degree but in order to obtain optimal results you need a full evaluation by a licensed physician.

In order for a physician to prescribe a functional orthotic requires a complete medical and biomechanical evaluation.  At St. Luke’s Health Alliance we use a unique sophisticated analysis system called the C.A.F.F. System to prescribe a functional foot orthotic, that will treat patients with foot pain, knee pain, hip pain and low back pain.