Orthotic Devices Custom Designed for Your Foot Ailment

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 08, 2009 – Orthotics can go a long way when it comes to relieving foot, toe and ankle pain.  Much more than “padding” in your shoe, orthotics are custom designed to address the specific symptoms of your foot ailment.  Read below to find out more about common foot ailments and the orthotics used to treat them:
Foot Drop (or Drop Foot).  This condition occurs when muscular or neurological damage makes dorsiflexion difficult (or nearly impossible) for the affected person.  In more simple terms, someone with foot drop will struggle to rotate his or her toes and ankle upwards (like you’re flexing the foot).  Various orthotic devices can be used to help stabilize and strengthen the ankle.  Some, such as the Innovation Foot-Up by Ossur, are designed to be worn with shoes.  The brace will wrap around your ankle and then attach to your shoe with a small band.  Other orthotics allow you to go barefoot (check out the Freedom Soft Foot Drop Brace by ALIMED), while some people with foot drop opt to wear orthotics at night.  These nighttime orthotics will be bulkier (like wearing a special boot while you sleep).  Check out the Airform Night Splint or the Exoform Dorsal Night Splint by Ossur.
Arch Pain.  Arch pain is one of the more common foot ailments.  It occurs when the band of connective tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot from heel to toe (known as the plantar fascia) becomes inflamed.  If you are suffering from arch pain, avoid high-heeled shoes and look for insoles that shift pressure away from the arch.  There are several high quality brands that make orthopedic insoles for this very purpose.  Look for insoles made by Active Orthotics, Amfit, ArchAssist, Betterstep, CrocsRx or Custom Made Orthotics that advertise arch or heel pain relief.  Most will be full-sole insoles (you’ll insert them like a second lining in your shoe), but some brands manufacture smaller orthotics designed to fit just below your arches.  
Morton’s Neuroma.  A neuroma occurs when the nervous tissue thickens due to compression or irritation of the nerve.  The most common kind of neuroma in the foot is known as Morton’s neuroma, and it occurs at the metatarsal joint of the third and fourth toes.  People with Morton’s neuroma will often complain of pain, tingling, numbness or a feeling that there is a hard object lodged in the ball of the foot.  In most cases, medication is taken orally in order to reduce the swelling of the nervous tissue.  Orthotics are sometimes used to reduce symptoms of pain and discomfort.  Most of these orthotic devices consist of a simple elastic band that wraps around the ball of your foot.  This band’s purpose is twofold: first to relieve pressure on the ball of your foot and second to provide the inflamed area with cushioning.  The orthotic is usually made out of a breathable silicone.  Check out the Metatarsal Gel Pad by Silipos.