Whether it’s getting back into shape, excelling, or improving your reflexes, playing a sport is usually very beneficial for you.
However, various factors like muscle fatigue or injury can hinder your performance and undermine your athletic activity.
Foot orthoses for athletes are a valuable tool to address these types of discomforts, before, during, and after sports.
Read on to learn 4 aspects of athletic performance that orthotics can improve.
Optimizing your energy output
Energy expenditure guides movement, therefore, it goes without saying that it must be used wisely.
However, if pain or imbalance is overwhelming your feet, it is more than likely that your efforts will not properly increase your performance.
This is where the use of foot orthoses can benefit you.
These can help your feet in several ways:
- They facilitate weight transfer and propulsion during movement;
- They allow for better shock absorption, from the heel to the forefoot;
- They increase the contact area of the foot on the ground, distributing pressure more evenly;
These features, which distinguish the dynamic orthosis from the classic orthosis, allow you to better channel your movements and maximize the performance of your stride.
Lower risk of injury
In terms of prevention, foot orthoses can also be a treatment for your feet to consider.
Since athletes use the lower limbs more frequently, they are more susceptible to these kinds of injuries.
On top of that, if a person has a pre-existing plantar condition such as flat feet or cavus feet, the risk of injury is even greater.
In addition, athletic activity is often associated with the following foot pathologies:
- Plantar fasciitis;
- Heel spur;
- Stress fracture;
- Bursitis (inflammation of the bursa);
- Sprain of the ankle;
- Osteoarthritis of the big toe (hallux rigidus);
- Achilles tendonitis;
- The traumatic nail;
- The patellofemoral syndrome;
- The heel fracture.
Correction of postural malpositions
Poor training techniques can actually often be mistaken for poor posture.
Of course, the feet are not always responsible for poor posture, but they can have a significant impact on the overall position of the body.
Therefore, one of the main functions of foot orthoses is to correct postural imbalances.
However, it is important to consider a podiatric consultation at a clinic before you purchase orthotics.
If you would like to know if postural pain is truly due to the plantar arrangement, the podiatrist can usually offer the following tests to detect it:
- The biomechanical exam;
- The postural assessment;
- 2D/3D imaging of the foot.
Better recovery after sports
All of the features above attest to the highly responsive nature of foot orthoses during athletic activity.
But even if it is reserved exclusively for active moments, its effects are felt far beyond sports.
When you reduce the pressure exerted on the foot, you allow the orthotic insole to shorten the time needed for muscles and joints to recover.
Orthotics not only facilitate recovery after sports, but also accelerate the healing after a sports injury.
However, despite its effectiveness, the custom orthotic insole is more likely to be part of a broader treatment plan.
Typically, other podiatric treatments that are used to treat sports injuries include:
- Therapeutic tape;
- Manual foot therapy;
- Ultrasound treatment;
- Shockwave therapy;
- Therapeutic laser treatment;
- Cortisone injection.
PiedReseau offers foot orthoses adapted to the needs of athletes
Custom orthotics relieve your plantar pain and allow you to maximize your athletic potential.
The podiatrists at PiedReseau can offer you the right foot orthoses adapted to the type of activity you perform.
Do you feel like your feet hinder your athletic performance? Consult a PiedReseau podiatrist to help you today.
