Flâneurs orthopédiques Maddie Orthaheel

Heel Pain
Heel pain is usually caused by rolling over of the foot (Excess Pronation). As the foot pronates, the arch collapses and the muscles (plantar fascia) and supporting structure are forced to stretch and elongate.

By supporting the arches and re-aligning the lower limb to its natural angle, orthotics reduces the traction and strain on the plantar fascia, taking away this common cause of heel pain.

Ball of Foot Pain
This condition commonly occurs with women, however many men suffer from pain in the ball of the foot. Sometimes a callous develops in the centre of the foot and footwear may wear out in a similar fashion. It causes a burning sensation in the ball of the foot and can become very painful.

Orthotics align the central three metatarsal shafts using an inbuilt met raise to correctly position and maintain the Metatarsal bone position. By balancing the weight distribution over five metatarsal bones, this helps remove excess weight & friction which commonly causes the callous and burning sensation.

Morton's Neuroma
This condition is generally caused by entrapment of the interdigital nerve lying between the third and fourth metatarsal bones. Ball of Foot Pain (Morton's Neuroma) exhibits similar symptoms to Metatarsalgia, but may also cause numbness, tingling and discoloration of the third and fourth (lesser) toes.

Orthotics greatly assist in the early stages of Morton's Neuroma when damage to the nerve sheath is minimal. Orthotics re-align the metatarsal shafts and prevents interdigital nerve jamming. 

Flat Feet/Fallen Arches
A true flat foot is rare. Generally, a flat footed person is only suffering from a functional flat foot caused by excess pronation. Excess Pronation causes the foot's arch to collapse & elongate giving the appearance of a flat foot. A functional flat foot is quite common and generally exhibits symptoms ranging from sore/tired feet to general leg fatigue and body aches.

Orthotics are designed to control excess pronation (the common cause of functional flat feet), thereby restoring the foot's arch to normal.

Bunions
Bunions are a bony lump that gradually develop on the big toe joint over many years. Bunions can sometimes be very painful and at other times exhibit no pain at all. The common cause of this condition is a combination of genetic factors and poor foot function.

Orthotics control excess pronation, which is a common factor causing Bunions. Orthotics redistribute the weight evenly over the foot to prevent (or reduce) the gradual growth of a bunion. Orthotics are very successful in reducing symptoms with painful Bunion conditions.

Achilles Pain
Achilles Tendonitis commonly occurs from shearing and stretching (tractional) forces placed on the Achilles tendon at the back of the heel. Excess Pronation causes the heel bone to tilt excessively and places extra strain on the tendon. Inflammation of the tendon is a common result along with tightening of the calf muscles.

Orthotics align the heel bone and significantly reduces the shearing and stretching forces on the Achilles Tendon, thereby providing relief from Achilles Pain.

Callous and Corns
Callous and Corns develop from excess friction and rubbing on the foot. Corns normally develop on the upper joints of the toes, whilst callous generally develops under the sole of the foot (especially under the big toe/little toe joint and central ball of the foot). Corns and callous commonly develop when excess pronation disrupts the normal metatarsal bone relationship in the foot and this causes the toes to claw. Friction & rubbing from your footwear then causes corns and callous to develop on the tops of your toes and/or the bottom of your feet.

Orthotics control excess pronation and prevents dropping of the metatarsal bones and furthermore clawing of the toes. Thereby removing this friction and rubbing which causes corns and callous.

Tired/aching legs are commonly caused by strain and traction on the calf muscles at the back of the legs. This occurs when the feet roll over and the legs rotate internally. In turn, this places stress on the leg muscles.

Orthotics control 'excess pronation' - decreasing internal rotation of the leg and traction on the calf muscles, thereby taking away this common cause of tired/aching legs.

Rolling over of the feet - excess pronation - causes the lower leg to rotate internally. As a result, the pelvis is forced to tilt forward, which can cause an increased curvature of the lower back. This is referred to as 'poor body posture'. Especially after standing up-right for longer periods the curvature in back will cause tightness and stiffness of the lower back muscles.

By controlling 'excess pronation' of the feet, orthotics help improve your body posture. Because the feet are now properly aligned, internal rotation of the legs and forward pelvic tilt are greatly reduced, thereby easing low back pain.

A common condition in athletes caused by abnormal friction & rubbing of the Ilio-tibial band muscle over the knee & hip joints. This condition commonly exhibits a gradual but rather severe pain on the outside knee joint and less commonly on the outside hip section. Sometimes, simply walking up or down stairs may aggravate this condition. The pain usually subsides immediately upon rest but re-occurs with activity.

Orthotics control the internal rotation of the shin bone (tibia) and furthermore the rotation on the knee & hip joint via the in-built 4 degree rearfoot varus wedge. Thereby, reducing stretching (tractional) and frictional forces on the Ilio-tibial band muscle. Stretching of the Ilio-tibial band muscle is advised.