Feet are incredibly complex and serve as the foundation for your entire body in terms of support, balance, posture, and overall well-being. Good foot health is essential for an active life. Each foot has 26 bones, 33 joints and over 100 muscles, ligaments and tendons. Poor foot position can cause pain in your feet, knees, hips and lower back, as well as balance issues and poor posture.
Foot, knee, hip and back pain is commonly a result of poor walking or running biomechanics, often stemming from the feet. A popular intervention to help correct these issues and alleviate pain is orthotics (insoles). These are inserts that you can put in your shoe to support your feet.
Orthotics can help alleviate:
Foot pain
Plantar fasciitis
Achilles tendinopathy
Collapsed arches
Metatarsalgia
Mortons neuroma
Knee pain
Hip pain
Back pain
Traditionally, these have been prescribed by a medical professional using a foam impression box or plaster cast to provide the static foot shape, along with their visual opinion of an individual’s gait. You can buy ‘off the shelf’ orthotics but these aren’t really ideal as they’re not made specifically for your feet and your biomechanical imbalances.
However, times are changing…
The prescription of orthotics is being revolutionised by considering a fundamental measurement that has previously been overlooked – human movement.
At Chiltern Physiotherapy we have been using high tech force platform technology for several years to analyse our patients gait (how they walk and the pressures through their feet) to see if this is having an impact on their joints and causing any issues.
The high speed footscan® system monitors the mechanics of your feet to identify any asymmetries or abnormalities, providing detailed information that simply cannot be seen with the human eye, or on a treadmill.
The footscan® technology intuitively translates this dynamic data into the Phits Insole design to complement the expert knowledge of our physiotherapists to create personalised 3D printed Phits orthotics specifically designed for you and the way you move. No two feet are the same, including yours. Each orthotic is made specifically for each foot - the prescription for your left foot will be different to the right.
By correcting biomechanical imbalances, orthotics can alleviate pain, reduce stress on joints, and enhance overall performance. They are truly a marvel of modern medicine.
Orthotics aren’t just a therapy for pain, they are widely used as a preventative measure to reduce the risk of injury, minimise fatigue and improve running performance.
As marathon world record-breaker Paula Radcliffe explains: “Without the support of Phits Insoles, it would have been impossible to recover after my surgery and most likely I wouldn’t have been able to continue my running career.”
Whether you are an elite athlete, recreational walker or factory worker on your feet, our 3D printed Phits insoles will help your feet to adopt the correct foot motion, improve your movement efficiency and minimise your risk of injury.
Here are some of Chiltern Physiotherapy's happy Phits orthotic users:
Matt Jahans: "I've had years of plantar fasciitis and chronic ankle instability. I tried off the shelf orthotics but they didn't make a difference for me. I've seen a podiatrist but I was curious about the force platform assessment with the 4000 sensors. Since wearing my Phits custom orthotics my feet have never feet so supported or so comfortable. I no longer have to wear any tape or ankle supports. I've got zero foot pain. I'm walking further without any pain in just one week! The difference is ground breaking, it's a no brainer!"
More information can be found on the 'Orthotics' page of our website: https://www.chilternphysiotherapy.co.uk/orthotics
If you are fed up with suffering unnecessarily with foot pain, ankle pain, knee pain or back pain, custom 3D printed orthotics may be the solution for you so please reach out to us.
We can analyse your gait during our normal physiotherapy assessment and treatment appointments. So if you are suffering, please don't hesitate and book an appointment by calling 01923 283845 or book online by clicking here.
If you have any questions please call 01923 283845 or email info@chilternphysiotherapy.co.uk