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At some point, your feet may suffer from foot pain. That’s because statistics show that about 90% of people have foot pain at least once in their life.
There are lots of reasons why foot pain is so widespread. Many reasons are related to two facts: You use your feet daily — a lot — and your feet are subjected to repeated stress, strain, and impact all day long.
At Performance Foot & Ankle Specialists, LLC, top-rated podiatrists Joel S Segalman, FACFAS, FACFAO, and Stephen Lazaroff, DPM, FACFAS, help patients relieve chronic foot pain with state-of-the-art therapies, including custom orthotics designed for your symptoms, foot shape, and other factors. If you have a problem with your feet, custom orthotics can help.
Custom orthotics: The basics
Custom orthotics are nothing like the shoe inserts you can buy online or at your local drugstore. While those products are made of flimsy material and based on general concepts of foot shape and pressure points, custom orthotics are made just for you to relieve pain and prevent symptoms in the future.
Each custom orthotic is created individually at a lab dedicated to state-of-the-art orthotic design and production. Before receiving a custom orthotic, our team reviews your symptoms and performs an exam of your foot and your gait mechanics (the way you walk).
Next, they take careful measurements of your feet. All this information is provided to the lab to ensure a perfect fit along with a targeted treatment of your symptoms and the underlying problem causing them.
Depending on your lifestyle and footwear preferences, we can design orthotics for most shoe types, including athletic and dress shoes. Plus, we use durable materials — sturdier and more comfortable than materials used in over-the-counter insoles.
Tailored treatment for multiple foot problems
One benefit of having custom orthotics made for you is that the design of your orthotics can treat a wide variety of foot-related problems, including the issues listed below.
Bunions
Bunions happen when pressure on your big toe forces the toe joint out of alignment, resulting in a painful bump on the side of your foot. In extreme cases, the toe may cross over the toe next to it. Genetic foot shape has a lot to do with bunion formation, and shoe type plays a role, too.
Flatfeet
Healthy feet depend on arches, a support system in your midfoot composed of bones, ligaments, and tendons. If you have flat feet, your arches are flat or almost flat. Flatfeet is common in childhood but can also happen to adults — a condition nicknamed “fallen arches.”
Hammertoes
A hammertoe is an abnormally bent toe. Most hammertoes happen from an imbalance of the muscles that support the toe, but genetics, arthritis, and injuries can also play a role.
Plantar fasciitis
A common source of chronic foot pain as we age, plantar fasciitis occurs when the strong band of tissue that runs from your heel to the front of your foot gets irritated and inflamed. People with plantar fasciitis often have pain when they first stand up in the morning or when they stand after a long period of sitting.
Neuroma
A neuroma happens when nerve tissue thickens, causing shooting pain, aching, and burning sensations around the nerve and sometimes along its pathway. In feet, neuromas typically form in the ball portion of the foot, just below the base of the toes.
Don’t ignore your foot pain
Foot pain isn’t just uncomfortable and distracting — it can limit your activities and interfere with enjoying life. Without treatment, foot pain can cause other problems, like back pain, spine issues, and pain in your knees and hips.
If you’re suffering from foot pain, early treatment is vital. To learn how our team can help, call our offices in Newtown and Waterbury, Connecticut, or book an appointment online today.