Can orthotics and sports insoles prevent injury or improve sports performance.

The research says YES

World class athletes says YES

Here at the Deansgate Osteopathic Clinic with use the latest in technology the RS Footscan Gait Analysis and Phits 3D printed custom insoles, technology taking the elite athlete world by storm and are now worn by every female British Marathon Champion for the past 5 years!

Is there a downside?

Not really, but there is a blind side to them! This being one of the most common errors with orthotics or insoles for runners….

Poor diagnosis and understanding of injuries runner experience, some of these can be:

Poor Foot Biomechanics

Loss of Muscle Control

Training Volume & Intensity

Malalignment of the Pelvis and Lower Limb

Muscle Weakness and Muscle Imbalance

With some of the common running injuries being:

Achilles Tendinopathy,

Knee Pain,

Hip Bursitis

Shin Splints.

Runners Knee/knee pain.

Without understanding the relationship of the tissue causing symptoms you cannot resolve the problem effectively. Often injuries like those above become reoccurring problems or you get a range of different injuries due to the same fundamental cause which has not been addressed.

An orthotic itself is a device for the foot that is issued by medical professional following a Gait Analysis. Orthotics are used to help restore optimal foot biomechanics to prevent injury and improve the gait optimising ground contact to maximise performance.

This is very different to insoles bought online or from shops which are simply guess work, and even when produced using a treadmill running machine requires a certain amount of guess work, little information is truly attained from foot motion via visual inspection, treadmill use can however provide excellent information on body motion and function.  

A Gait Analysis needs to be part of a more complete assessment, examining your body movement for adaptive compensation patterns, injuries and functional stability.

Without all this information you simply do not have a full picture

So What Are The Benefits of Custom Orthotics?

Reduce tissue loading: supporting foot mechanics provides support and encourages correct motion thereby reducing unnecessary tissue on to the foot mechanics. A common cause of tissue overload is Plantar Fasciitis, here you could say it’s at the scene of the crime but not necessary the criminal…

Abnormal Biomechanics of the foot: Injury and pain generally alter the mechanics for the worse, with reduced efficiency and function.  Orthotics help support the mechanics with directional support and stability, thereby helping prevent tissue loading and an abnormal amount of pronation at the forefoot, rearfoot or both.

Proprioception: Custom orthotics can benefit foot motion by a complicated mechanism of neural feedback. This will enhance motor control and give the body better feedback of joint position allowing more rapid control of the foot motion. This will help with fatigue and motor control on landing and reduce the speed of pronation rather than the amount of pronation to prevent injury.

Shock absorption: The simple act of jumping can increase the force 10-fold, the muscles in the lower limb absorb the majority of the shock on landing and throughout mid-stance. It is the repetitive strain on the muscles and increase shock through the lower limbs that can lead to fatigue and injury.

These are just some of the benefits as to why orthotics may reduce pain and help injury recovery, prevent injuries and improve performance.

Here at Deansgate Osteopathic Clinic we combine custom orthotics with injury treatment, rehabilitation and a global approach to exercise integration to optimise function whilst developing strength and resilience to minimise the risk of re-injury.

If you’d like specialist advice…

You can call Deansgate Osteopathic Clinic on: 01204 522133

Or visit our website for more information and to book with one of our specialists:

Refs

-G Waddington, R Adams, and  S Bartold 2010. Football boot insoles and sensitivity to extent of ankle inversion movement.

-Barton CJ, Munteanu SE, Menz HB, et al.2010. The efficacy of foot orthoses in the treatment of individuals with patellofemoral pain syndrome: a systematic review.

-Common Running Injuries: Evaluation and Management (Arnold, Michael J, Moody, Aaron L 2018) Running is a common form of exercise but predisposes athletes to several running-related injuries..

-MacLean CL, Davis IS, Hamill J. Short- and long-term influences of a custom foot orthotic intervention on lower extremity dynamics. Clin J Sport Med. 2008.

-MacLean CL, van Emmerik R, Hamill J. Influence of custom foot orthotic intervention on lower extremity intralimb coupling during a 30-minute run. J Appl Biomech. 2010