Insoles For Plantar Fasciitis

Why are insoles commonly prescribed for Plantar Fasciitis?

Firstly, understanding the name Orthotics and Insoles

These terms are very often interchanged in there meaning, in summary an insole is a device to cushion and absorb shock whilst an orthotic is a device which can relive pain, redistribute pressure and restore natural foot function.

However, many manufacturers interchange the name whilst adding functional changes to the foot wear.

Any insole with custom alterations  based on clinical reasoning and built specific to you are really custom orthotics.

Lets’s start…

 Why are insoles and orthotics commonly prescribed for Plantar Fasciitis? Quite simply they help… Studies have shown that orthotics reduce pain and improve function in adults with acute plantar fasciitis with few risks or side effects.

 With Plantar Fasciitis there are a few things you need to consider…

 Plantar Fasciitis is the most common type of heel pain and occurs when the fascia under the foot that supports the arch fails becoming weaker due to injury, trauma or altered foot mechanics. Foot issues can also be influenced by the knees, hips and pelvis.

Orthotics are used to provide the foot with the right amount of arch support to distribute pressure more evenly and stabilise the relevant bones within the arch. This means less tension, stress, and pain for the plantar fascia.

Unfortunately, Plantar Fasciitis is not that simple to resolve, in fact it can take 12-18 months, though most experts agree that early recognition and treatment of PF leads to a shorter course of treatment and greater probability of success with conservative therapies, with orthotics proving beneficial in there use which is amplified within a structured treatment plan.

Flat foot can also increase the likely hood of the foot dysfunction and plantar fasciitis. Therefore, the interventions are also necessary to improve the foot dysfunction and plantar fasciitis in people with flat foot.

However, before you rush out and buy a pair of insoles for your plantar fasciitis, here’s our  tips to help.

Here is what is important to know..

1. Find Out What Works For You

Everyone’s feet is different and suffering from plantar fasciitis recovery is not as simple as selecting a “one size fits all” insole. Choosing off the shelf insole may help however it is still guess work.

It is optimum and necessary for the specific orthotic to fit you precisely keeping in mind that your insoles and shoes should always be flexible to allow free and natural movement of all the toes.

2. Consider Insoles With Shock Absorbing Heel Cups

Some plantar fasciitis insoles have little support towards the back heel while some do. Support and cushioning at the heel cup help to keep the pressure from the fat pad, which is a thick layer of fat that lies on the bottom of the foot.

3. Wear Footwear With Enough Fitting Room

If you decide to have insoles, you need to ensure that there’s enough space for them.

Important because there needs to be enough room for the feet particular the transverse arch to expand whenever you take a step. This lesser-known arch spans the entire width of the foot from side-to-side and needs enough space to move.

Insole can also increase the pressure if poorly fitted.

4. Match the Insoles With the Shoes And Feet

The left and right foot are rarely the exact same so orthotics need to match each precisely, the orthotic also needs to properly fit the footwear you plan on wearing.

There needs to be enough room as any insert will alter the fitting of your footwear, this can make shoes uncomfortable to wear

If the shoe does not allow an insole to be fitted with comfort and the ability to move alternate shoes will be required.

5. Do Not Rely On Plantar Fasciitis Orthotics or Insoles

Ideally you do not want to just rely on orthotics or insoles for your plantar fasciitis.  If the feet are supported and not allowed to work correctly, they can become weaker and adapt, not for the better. Rehab exercise is also necessary

6. Effectiveness is Not Price Based

Cheap Off the shelf and often expensive insoles relies on interpretation and a certain amount of guess work, simply because a particular manufacturer will sell the idea they help Plantar Fasciitis doesn’t mean one pair fixes all, so many people try many different types of insole and various remedies without resolution.

So, if treating and resolving Plantar Fasciitis difficult, takes a long time and many insoles are guess work how can recovery be maximised?

Treatment and Rehabilitation Of Rehabilitation.

The main goals when we look at treatment and rehabilitation for Plantar Fasciitis is to relieve pain and return you to pain-free activity. 

Insoles are a primary focus once identified, with two main objectives.

1:Provide a temporary reduction in the pain provoking activity by providing support and stabiltity, and

2: To assist in the rehabilitation process in maximising performance. 

The aim of conservative treatment is to correct any imbalances or abnormalities in gait movement and overall functional biomechanics (how all the body works).  Rehabilitation should follow a progression of exercise to encourage good healing in Plantar tissue.

A hands approach to treatment will also consider muscle and joint dysfunction that can have a contributing factor, this may entail soft tissue, joint mobilisation and manipulation.

Here at Deansgate Osteopathic Clinic we follow a 4 step strategy

#1 Injury Assessment & Diagnosis – getting a correct diagnosis for Plantar Fasciitis understanding the foot mechanics will allow a more complete pathway to recovery. This allow allows diagnosis and action necessary for conditions such as flat feet, Achilles tendinopathy to name a couple.

#2 Dynamic Gait Analysis-  A Gait Analysis assesses the way you walk/run, our Footscan unit is a 8000 pressure sensor unit that provides precise data on gait movement.

Using the latest innovative technology, the pressure plate analysis can identify abnormal foot pressures and movements during the gait cycle that are not visible to the eye, helping to diagnose lower limb conditions without guess work on how the feet really move.

#3 Full Body Assessment – A comprehensive assessment of how the body moves as a whole examining strength, balance and coordination, a process to identify adaptive muscle and joint function changes which lead to compensation patterns, injury, and performance loss.

#4 Customised Orthotics – Our insoles are 3D laser printed custom orthotics built around your feet utilising the latest in technology and materials. The insole maximise support to balance foot movement, improve function and stability, mostly used to relieve foot or ankle pain, and other lower body conditions, though the likes of world class athletes such as Mo Farah and premier league clubs such as Manchester City and Manchester United to maximise performance.   

Our Custom Orthotics are based on data from a Gait Analysis which provides the data for the only true 3D printed Custom Orthotics….

If you are experiencing Plantar Fasciitis or worried flat feet may devlop to plantar faciitis contact the clinic for an assessment and gait analysis and let us take the guess work out of recovery and get you back to loving the things you enjoy.

The first action to take is a Gait Analysis and Assessment, simply book on the button an lets take the first step to resolving your Plantar Fasciitis and getting your custom insoles.

“What steps would you take to run pain free, perform better, and enjoy your daily activities again!”…