As an athlete, you know your feet need to be healthy and functioning well to be at the top of your game. But your feet absorb 60 tons of stress with each mile you walk. Custom orthotics help protect the sensitive tissues of your feet, ensuring you stay in the game and off the sidelines.
At South Sound Foot & Ankle, our team, led by podiatrist Mark Hopkins, DPM, helps athletes in the Olympia, Washington, area improve their game and stay injury-free with custom orthotics. We also offer customized sports medicine to help athletes needing treatment or care.
Read on to learn how orthotics can help improve your game and keep you free from sports injuries!
Although over-the-counter orthotics are available, only custom orthotics offer the specialized care athletes need. As a player, foot function is imperative to the game. Issues like fallen arches, ankle rolls, and bunions can interfere with the delicate balance of your feet, weakening them and leaving you more prone to injury.
While over-the-counter orthotics may offer some cushioning, they don’t typically help correct any mechanical issues in your feet. Custom orthotics, on the other hand, provide help based on the structure of your unique feet and ankles as well as your gait.
Dr. Hopkins asks you about your sports involvement, then evaluates your feet and conducts a physical exam to better understand your foot health and needs. At South Sound Foot & Ankle, we ensure the orthotics you receive don’t simply fit your feet but help alleviate current and future stresses based on your specific demands.
Customs orthotics help our athletes improve their game by keeping their feet healthy and injury-free. Here’s how they can help you:
Since they’re prescribed based on the unique structure of your feet, custom orthotics help correct biomechanical foot issues, or problems with your walking and running gaits and how you stand. When athletes struggle with biomechanical foot problems, they often develop troublesome foot or ankle conditions or chronic heel pain or foot pain.
Since custom orthotics reposition and support the foot’s heel, arch, tendons, ligaments, muscles, and bones, they improve the function of your feet and help keep you in the game longer. What’s more? You’ll experience less foot pain after the game.
Compared to the size of your body, your feet are quite small. This means every muscle, bone, ligament, and tendon in your foot and ankle must work together properly to give you the support, balance, and mobility you need to be at your best during the game.
If your foot or ankle has a structural issue, it can disrupt the complex and highly balanced system that allows you to run, jump, kick, and slide. Custom orthotics help improve the workload placed on your feet and ankles, ensuring your feet function properly and you stay in the game longer.
Custom orthotics help improve the workload your feet face by:
With custom orthotics, we help ensure each component in your feet functions optimally, helping you avoid injury and play your best.
Problems with your feet can throw off your alignment, leading to issues that can be felt beyond your feet. Conditions like fallen or high arches can cause your ankles to roll, throwing your ankles, knees, and hips out of alignment and causing strain in your back and neck.
By using custom orthotics, Dr. Hopkins can realign your feet and ankles, making sure your back and spine get the support they need to keep you playing your best.
Whether you’re recovering from a recent sports injury or battling a chronic problem in your feet, custom orthotics can help you feel better so you can play better. By correctly positioning your feet and taking the pressure off the damaged or injured area, custom orthotics help ensure your feet heal faster.
Your body is better able to repair and rebuild itself when the stress from your body weight is distributed correctly, allowing your feet and ankles to heal and helping you avoid future injuries down the road.
If you’re looking to improve your game with custom orthotics Dr. Hopkins and the team at South Sound Foot & Ankle can help. Contact our Olympia office or book an appointment online now!
