As podiatrists, we know that between achilles tendonitis, ingrown toenail treatment Sydney and custom orthotics prescription, knee pain is very common in our clinics. Chronic knee pain occurs when there is pain between the kneecap (patella) and the underlying thigh bone (femur). Chronic knee pain tends to be worse when standing up or walking upstairs, and is typically caused by sports injury, trauma, or most commonly, wear and tear.
Orthotics are used to re-align feet and ankles and improve posture and biomechanics of walking and moving. Despite what many people think, orthotics are actually used to treat many different areas of the body, including the knees.
Knee pain generally occurs as a result of an injury or poor alignment. Your feet and knees are linked (literally and figuratively) when it comes to lower limb pain. When one is suffering from pain or misalignment, the other will likely be affected. The amount of impact generated with each step, the way the feet are aligned and the way the pressure is distributed with each step has a significant impact on your feet, heels, and your knees.
Orthotics are a great way to realign any problems in the knee and feet and resolve mechanical issues. Orthotics provide shock absorption, which can help distribute the force of each step evenly throughout the foot and ankle, taking the pressure off the knees. Orthotics also provide cushioning, to give the lower limbs some support for each step. And orthotics work to re-align any mechanical issues that may be the actual cause of any knee pain. By limiting motion and impact, orthotics can reduce wear and tear on joints.
By working to re-align the feet and ankles, orthotics reduce internal leg rotation, thereby improving patella-tracking and restoring normal knee mechanics. This will relieve any knee pain while also treating the cause of the knee pain. Here’s a great video on common knee pain and orthotic treatment:
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