What is an orthopedic insole?
A simple definition is a pad placed in a shoe that can correct and regulate walking posture.
Orthopedic insoles have the following characteristics.
1, it is designed and developed by foot and ankle medical experts, through the research on plantar biomechanics, as well as foot lesions caused by changes in human biological force lines, with the foot longitudinal arch support role of the pad;.
2, its arch size is made according to the normal arch degree, it is adapted to the general population; for some people with foot deformities or foot diseases, it can be designed and made with a specific arch height pad through computer testing to adapt to specific individuals.
3, orthopedic insoles to correct and improve the walking gait and posture through the support of the arch of the foot. For example, through orthopedic insoles can correct the inward turning foot, outward turning foot, inward ‘eight’ son, outward ‘eight’ son and other poor walking posture;.
4, orthopedic insoles can be used to conservatively treat some diseases of the foot by redistributing the pressure on the bottom of the foot. such as plantar foot pad, corns, metatarsal tarsal arthritis, intertarsal arthritis, etc..
5, orthopedic insoles can prevent age-related degenerative bone and joint pathologies by improving the force lines of the lower limbs.
6.Orthopedic insoles can make you feel more comfortable and effective when standing, walking, running and jumping by changing the angle of the foot when it touches the ground and the negative emphasis.
Orthopedic insoles are subdivided into various types based on the above functions, and are made from a variety and from a variety of different materials. However, the ultimate summary of orthopedic insoles is that they all work to correct foot deformities and relieve foot pain by improving plantar function and relieving plantar pressure.
Orthopedic insoles are made of different materials depending on their function. One is trying to improve the function of the foot, usually refers to the hard support pad; one is mainly to play a protective role for the foot, usually refers to the soft support pad; the third is both to improve the function and can play a protective role, usually semi-rigid orthopedic pad.
The following is a description of the three types of support pads.
Hard orthopedic pads.
Hard orthopedic pads are designed to control the function of the foot, and its material texture is mainly made of plastic and charcoal fiber, which can be applied to a variety of shoes. It is made in two ways: one is made according to the normal arch of the human body, suitable for the general population, of course, this kind of insole for those with foot problems is slightly less effective; one is made according to the individual foot to make a plaster model, through computer testing and analysis, specially made, this most suitable for each human body.
According to the length of the hard insoles, there are two types of insoles, one is full-length, that is, from heel to toe, and the other is 3/4 length, which is made according to different problems of the foot and different lengths of insoles. This hard insole is normally required to be placed in shoes with a heel height of 2 cm, and, because of its hard material, it is necessary to appropriately increase the shoe size of the shoe.
Hard insoles are generally designed not to deform, in addition, due to the choice of material is not easy to damage.
The role of the rigid insole is to achieve the therapeutic effect on foot diseases by controlling the movement of the joints. It mainly controls two joints of the foot, one is the ankle joint, and through the supporting effect of the arch, it improves the unparallel force of the ankle joint, increases its stability and reduces the trauma of the ankle joint; secondly, it can control the motor function of the small joints of the tarsus, reduce its strain and prevent the occurrence of traumatic inflammation; in addition, the sprain and pain of the lower limbs are often caused by the abnormal function of the foot leading to the change of the biomechanical line of the lower limbs, in such cases, orthotic insoles can be used to eliminate these symptoms by improving the biomechanical line of the lower extremity.
Soft orthotic insoles.
are usually made of soft, compressible material and can be readily adapted to the shape of the foot during activity without placing any pressure on the foot.
Any good soft pad can be designed to better fit the shape of the foot. It can absorb shock, increase balance, cushion the pressure of weight-bearing, relieve the pressure caused by strenuous exercise, in addition, it can reduce the concentration of force at a certain point on the bottom of the foot.
It also comes in two lengths: a full-length one, which is from heel to toe; and a 3/4 length one, which is made in different lengths according to the different problems of the foot.
It is also suitable for rheumatoid arthritis and deformed feet, and it protects the outer edge of the foot where there is a lack of fatty tissue, and it is more widely used for diabetic feet.
Its disadvantage is that it is easily compressed and deformed, easily worn out, and must be replaced regularly. Because it can be compressed, it can be used in a variety of shoes and provides more room for the toes to move.
Semi-rigid orthotic pads.
It is designed to provide good dynamic balance for the foot when moving and walking. This kind of insole has both good arch support, which can keep the foot in a normal functional position, so that the muscles and tendons can play their motor role better; and it can adapt well to the shape of the foot, without causing any pressure to the foot. This kind of semi-rigid orthotic insole has a certain function, but also has a good protection for the foot. Therefore, it is more suitable for athletes to wear, however, it is recommended to do different sports to choose different orthopedic pads. This semi-rigid orthotic pad is made of several layers of soft material with built-in rigid material support.
The following describes the mechanism of action of orthopedic insoles in several diseases.
First, metatarsal tendonitis: after applying orthopedic insoles, it obviously relieves the tension of metatarsal tendon membrane and reduces its strain, thus achieving the purpose of eliminating local inflammation and relieving pain.
Second, heel spur: after the application of orthopedic insoles, the force on the bottom of the foot is redistributed, reducing the weight-bearing force on the heel, reducing the local stimulation, also to eliminate local inflammation and relieve pain.
Third, Achilles tendonitis: the occurrence of Achilles tendonitis in addition to the shoe extrusion, friction this external factors, most patients exist ankle joint distortion, resulting in the Achilles tendon attachment point of the abnormal force caused. After the application of orthopedic insoles, the distortion of the ankle joint is corrected, so that the Achilles tendon is normally stressed, and the Achilles tendonitis can heal itself after a long time.
Fourth, metatarsalgia and painful callus (painful foot pad): after the application of orthopedic insoles, reshape the arch of the foot, so that the plantar weight-bearing force is evenly distributed, reducing the force on the forefoot. There is also an orthopedic insole with a transverse arch support pad at its front end, which can reshape the transverse arch and elevate the collapsed metatarsal heads to varying degrees. This can not only effectively relieve forefoot pain, and can make the painful corpus callosum slowly soften until it disappears.
V. Habitual ankle sprain: In patients with habitual ankle sprain, there is not only an imbalance of ligament strength on both sides of the ankle joint, but some even have an inclination of the talar joint surface. After applying orthopedic insoles, not only can the strength of the ligaments on both sides of the ankle joint be balanced, but also the tilt angle of the talar joint surface can be improved, thus achieving the purpose of preventing ankle sprains.
VI. Pain of tarsometatarsal arthritis and intertarsal arthritis: The occurrence of tarsometatarsal arthritis and intertarsal arthritis, in addition to the aging of the foot muscles and ligaments, their ability to maintain the intertarsal joint structure is weakened, making it more prone to strain, in some people, there is a disorder or loosening of the intertarsal joint structure itself. When orthopedic insoles are applied, through the supporting effect of the insoles on the arch of the foot, they play a role in stabilizing the joint structure, thus traumatic inflammation occurs and the clinical symptoms of pain are eliminated.
Seven, the prevention of senile degenerative osteoarthropathy (knee, hip, lower back): long-term wearing orthopedic insoles, can improve the force line of the lower limbs, balance the force on the joints, adjust the gait and posture of walking, so as to achieve the role of preventing senile osteoarthropathy.
Eight, bunion: the aggravation of bunion is mainly due to the pulling of the plantar muscles, after the application of orthopedic insoles, it can effectively relieve the force of the plantar muscles, thus achieving the role of delaying the aggravation of bunion.
In conclusion, orthopedic insoles can be applied to many foot and ankle disorders, but they all have their own different mechanisms of action, which are not listed here.