Did you know that about 1 in 3 seniors over age 65 will fall at least once per year? It's true, and the risk increases even more as you age. About 1 in 2 over age 80 will fall, too.

If you're lucky, your fall will come with only relatively minor consequences. Perhaps the worst you'll suffer is a bruised hip, or maybe a bruised ego.

But about one fifth of falls do cause serious bodily harm, such as broken bones or a concussion. This leads to around 10,000 deaths per year, as a direct or indirect consequence of falling.

Furthermore, the weeks or months you spend recovering and rehabilitating from your injury could lead to permanent declines in physical fitness, range of motion, and mobility which can limit your ability to enjoy your favorite activities or maintain your independence.

And even if the body heals, the psychological scars can remain. You may be so afraid of falling that you become overly cautious and limit your activities.

As we said, most people are slow to realize they are at high risk of falling until after they've already fallen once or twice. It can be hard to admit to ourselves that we're not as sturdy or stable as we used to be. 

That's why it's so important to be cognizant of the risk factors associated with falling, take steps to improve them if possible, and check in with your doctor regularly if you recognize them in your own life.

It may be helpful to sort these risk factors into two categories—intrinsic and extrinsic. 

Intrinsic risk factors are those related to your physical and mental condition. Things like exercising, eating a healthy diet, and seeking medical treatments may improve some of these items.

They include:

• The older you are, the more likely you are to fall. Once you reach your 60s, falling should be higher on your radar.
• Poor vision. If your eyesight is fading, you may not be able to see or recognize tripping hazards.
• Poor hearing. Some hazards provide auditory clues, which you may miss if your hearing isn't good.
• Muscle weakness. Muscle tone and strength naturally decreases with age. Lack of exercise or poor diet can accelerate the decline.
• Gait and balance problems. Muscle weakness often further contribute to poor balance or altered walking gait.
• Foot pain. Deformities such as bunions, flat feet, or hammertoes may make it more difficult to balance. 
• Chronic conditions. Problems such as arthritis, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, Parkinson's, and others may reduce your stability and balance, too.
• Orthostatic hypotension. This is what happens when you suddenly feel lightheaded or dizzy after getting up quickly.
• Certain medications. Your medications may produce side effects that increase fall risk, such as dizziness.
• Previous falls. If you've already fallen once before, it should be a major red flag that future falls are also likely.
• Fear of falling. As we said, fear of falling can actually make your fall risk higher over time, since that fear may be keeping you from getting the exercise you need to maintain strength, balance, and coordination.

Extrinsic risk factors are those that are related to your environment, such as your home, clothing, or assistive devices. Unlike intrinsic factors, these are usually much easier to remove and prevent by making relatively simple changes to your environment and lifestyle.

Examples include:

• Dim lighting. Make sure your home is brightly lit, and use nightlights in every room to aid in navigation when it's dark inside the room. Always turn the lights on before entering a room.
• Tripping hazards. Keep your home clean of clutter, cords, low furniture, and other potential hazards—especially on stairs or in walking routes.
• Slippery surfaces. Put appropriate non-skid flooring or mats in areas likely to be slick, such as the kitchen and bathroom.
• Poor stairs. Stairs that are too narrow, shallow, or sloped may be trickier to navigate safely. You may not be able to replace a staircase, but installing sturdy handrails will help.
• Lack of railings and grab bars. In addition to staircases, consider installing grab bars in the bathroom to help you get up and down from the toilet or in and out of the shower.
• Using assistive devices improperly. Devices such as balance braces and walkers are only fully effective when used as directed.
• Hard-to-reach sleeping space. Consider moving your bedroom to the main floor, if possible, to limit trips up and down the stairs.
• Inaccessible item storage. Keep items that you use more regularly in easy-to-reach locations where you don't have to bend, stretch, or navigate stairs to access them.

If you've fallen before, or you recognize several of the risk factors on this list, there are several actions you can take to help keep you on your feet.

First, if you have any foot pain or deformity whatsoever, you should give us a call at Trinity Foot Center. Foot pain is absolutely one of the leading contributing factors to falling, and should be addressed promptly and effectively.

As foot and ankle experts, we can provide a thorough fall risk assessment of your feet, ankles, and gait mechanics. Then, we can prescribe whatever treatments you need to relieve that pain and restore flexibility, mobility, and balance to your lower limbs. Whether the best answer for your situation is custom orthotics, special shoes, physical therapy, bracing, or surgery, we'll make sure you get the excellent foot care you need.

For other intrinsic risk factors such as vision problems, hearing loss, or chronic disease, please consult your primary care physician or an appropriate specialist. They are going to be key members of your fall prevention team.

Finally, look over the list of extrinsic risk factors again and determine if there are any simple modifications you or a family member could make to your living environment to make it safer for you. You may also consider asking your primary care physician for a referral to an occupational therapist, who can provide an in-home risk assessment and make recommendations and suggestions.

Remember, it may only take one fall to cause permanent damage. So make sure the next fall never happens!

To schedule your appointment with Dr. Brandy at Trinity Foot Center, please call our office today at (972) 293-9650. Or fill out our online contact form to have a member of our staff reach out to you.

Diagnosing Sever's Disease in DeSoto, TX

To diagnose Sever's disease, we'll conduct a complete review of your child's athletic activities and general medical history. In addition to a physical exam, we will take x-rays of your child's foot. This will help rule out other injuries and come to the right diagnosis. 

Treating heel pain in children caused by Sever's disease?

If your child is dealing with a new case of Sever's disease, we will probably recommend taking a week off of strenuous athletic activities. During that time, we'll suggest regularly icing the affected heel. And we may suggested a short course of over-the-counter anti-inflammatories to manage inflammation and pain. If this break period resolves your child's discomfort, we'll help him or her ease back into full activity mode, but we'll make corrections to prevent reinjury. Likely changes will include finding more supportive foot gear, or adding custom orthotics for adequate injury prevention.  

But what happens if, even with these precautions, the heel pain keeps returning? In this case, a custom orthotic will be critical. And some patients may need foot immobilization to allow full healing to take place. Now, that's an extreme measure, but even kids who don't need casting may benefit from wrapping their affected heel and ankle during athletic activities. Compression gear could help prevent swelling and pain. And physical therapy focused on stretching and strength building can help keep Sever's disease from returning. 

Will kids outgrow Sever's disease?

Just to reiterate: you should never wait for kids to outgrow heel pain. (Or any type of foot or ankle pain, for that matter.) Now, some kids may naturally outgrow the pain of Sever's disease. But that process could take years, and dramatically impact their quality of life. Instead, by seeking early treatment, you can offer your child quick relief from the pain of this condition, allowing them to get right back to doing what they love. Plus, delaying treatment for Sever's disease increases your child's risk for a heel bone fracture—an outcome we know you want to avoid!  

Stop Sever's Disease from Coming Back

In order to keep Sever's disease in your child's rearview mirror, you have to follow a few simple guidelines. 

1. Buy athletic shoes that fit properly and are designed with sufficient padding in their soles
2. Keep children in lightweight foot wear and avoid high heels at all costs  
3. Encourage stretching before and after kids engage in physical activity
4. After playing sports, children can ice their heels for up to 20, making sure to keep the ice from direct contact with your child's skin  
5. Make sure your child wears prescribed orthotic devices  
6. Help your child reach a healthy weight to remove excess pressure from the heels 

That's right. Just like your own house, condo, or apartment building rests on a solid foundation, your entire body rests upon your own two feet. They're more than just the things you stand on all day.

If your feet hurt, you start to lose your passion for activities you used to enjoy; shopping, walking, running, basketball, etc. You might fall behind on projects at home or daily errands because it's just easier to stay on the couch. You have to decline invitations to go shopping, hiking, or attend social functions with your friends because you know you can't keep up anymore.

Just like a home foundation, if you do nothing about your foot pain, the problems will only get worse—and harder to treat in the future

A sports injury or source of chronic discomfort isn't given the time it needs to heal may get more and more painful the more you try to ignore and push through it. For example:

• Stress fractures can deepen until they become traumatic breaks
• Ankle sprains that don't heal properly may lead to weak and unstable joints that get injured repeatedly.
• A once-mild ingrown toenail can eventually develop a nasty infection.

And of course, if pain is keeping you from staying active and getting exercise you need, it can result in a vicious cycle. You develop a more sedentary lifestyle, increasing your risk of developing countless health conditions and making it even harder to get started again.

In other words, the point we're trying to make is that proper foot care is an extremely important part of your overall health.

Care for your foundation by:

• Wearing good shoes. Poor footwear is a major contributor to all kinds of painful conditions—everything from heel and arch pain to deformities like bunions. Shoes that are too tight, poorly made or flat-heeled are among the most common offenders.
• Wearing your custom orthotics. Orthotic devices are one of the most effective tools for addressing structural deficiencies in feet. They come in many shapes and styles based on what your feet need most—shock absorption, motion control, arch support, etc.
• Maintaining a healthy body weight. Things tend to be big in Texas—and, unfortunately, that includes us, too. Texas is ranked eighth in the U.S. for percentage of the adult population overweight or obese. The heavier you are, the more weight and pressure you put on feet and the quicker they break down and cause pain.
• Practice good foot hygiene. Simple hygiene tasks like washing your feet daily, applying moisturizer before bed, keeping your toenails neatly trimmed, and avoiding going barefoot in public can greatly reduce your risk of developing skin and toenail conditions like athlete's foot, warts, fungal toenails, and ingrown toenails.
• Seek treatment promptly if pain persists. Minor aches and pains may come and go, and can often be resolved with a little TLC at home. However, if foot pain is severe enough to interfere with daily life or lasts longer than a week, please come see us. It is more likely to linger and get worse without professional treatment.

Get the Treatment you need today!

Foot pain of all kinds—heel pain, ankle pain, arch pain, etc.—can increase your risk of falling, both directly and indirectly.

Studies have repeatedly shown that foot deformities such as bunions, hammertoes, flat arches, and even corns and calluses can compromise balance and stability in older adults. These conditions can all alter the way you walk, and make it more difficult to climb or descend stairs, or navigate around obstacles.

There's also an indirect link between foot pain and fall risk. If your feet are always in pain, you probably aren't going to be as active. If you aren't getting enough exercise, your lower leg muscle strength, flexibility, and even balancing ability will decline faster.

As foot and ankle care experts, the Trinity Foot Center team is uniquely qualified to address these nagging foot problems. We offer effective conservative care options like physical therapy exercises and custom orthotics, and also provide surgical treatment when necessary.

A significant percentage of seniors are living with diabetes, or are at high risk of developing it. Diabetes and related metabolic conditions can significantly damage your feet and reduce your sense of balance and stability.

Peripheral neuropathy in the feet is a very common diabetic foot complication and can cause you to lose all sensation in your feet. This puts you at much higher risk of accidental trips, falls, and ulcerations on your feet. Unfortunately, long-term nerve damage is usually not reversible, so it's extremely important to take care of yourself now and seek help before symptoms become severe.

We provide a wide variety of treatments and preventative care options for our patients with diabetic foot problems. This includes prescribing diabetic shoes to protect your feet, medications that can alleviate nerve pain, and in-office wound care for most foot ulcers.

If you've already fallen—or fear that you might in the near future—we are happy to perform a fall risk assessment.

Essentially, we'll take a close look at how the most common falling risk factors associated with foot and ankle biomechanics are affecting you—your walking gait, your foot structure, the shoes that you wear, any symptoms you might be experiencing, etc.

From there, we can offer treatment options or recommendations to help you stay on your feet.

Other Fall Prevention Tips

Warts, as we said, are caused by certain strains of HPV. (Despite the rumors you may have heard during your childhood years, touching frogs has nothing to do with it.)

HPV is a virus that is commonly found in warm and moist environments, so walking barefoot in certain public areas (such as locker rooms or pool decks) or wearing damp socks and shoes can increase your risk of contracting it.

Anyone can get warts, although they are especially common in children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems.

Usually, warts are not dangerous on their own. They are not cancerous or malignant, and they only infect the top layers of the skin.

However, they are unsightly and can affect your self-confidence. And furthermore, warts that are positioned in weight-bearing areas may cause pain and discomfort when you stand on them.

There are a few "home remedies" you may find when researching warts on the internet, and some pharmacies do sell over-the-counter "wart removal kits."

However, we do not recommend these. Most of the time, they will have no noticeable effect on your warts. And home kits containing acidic compounds or other burning or peeling medications can damage healthy skin if improperly applied.

In time, a wart may go away on its own. However, this process can often take months, or even years. That's a long time to deal with the embarrassment, and if you have warts that are located in places that make walking difficult or painful, far too long to wait.

Additionally, warts may spread through contact (direct or indirect) to other parts of your body, and even other people—such as members of your family.

For all these reasons, it's highly recommended that you get your warts treated by a professional as soon as possible.

Wearing high heels puts incredible pressure on the front portion of your feet, including the balls of the of the feet and the toes. Furthermore, most high heels have narrowly pointed toe boxes, scrunching your toes together even more.

As a result, regularly wearing high heels can accelerate the development of bunions (bony bumps on the inside of the big toe joint) and hammertoes (toes that remain stuck in a curled position). This is especially true if bunions or hammertoes run in your family, since these conditions also often have a genetic component.

Of course, if you already have bunions or hammertoes, high heels can irritate them even more and be severely painful to wear.

Metatarsalgia simply means pain in the metatarsals, five long bones in each foot located in the balls of the feet. When you wear high heels, all of your body weight is concentrated squarely on the balls of your feet.

This, understandably, can make this part of your foot very swollen and sore. Many people even develop thick calluses, swollen nerve tissue (neuromas), or stress fractures in the metatarsal bones.

Under normal circumstances, calf and leg muscles need to contract to help "pump" blood from your foot back up to your heart. This is critically important for circulation, since blood in the feet has to work against gravity.

When you wear heels, your leg muscles remain in a constantly contracted state. Since they can't relax, this inhibits their natural ability to "pull" blood away from the feet. As a result, the blood may pool in the legs, and blood vessels may become swollen.

In addition to being a cosmetic eyesore, varicose veins can be painful and increase the risk of restless leg syndrome or ulcers.

If the toe box is too tight, the shoe may be putting direct pressure on your toenails. This greatly increases the likelihood that the nail will become ingrown and start digging into the soft skin of the toe. Ingrown toenails can be very painful, and even lead to an infection if not treated promptly.

Most high heels offer no ankle support whatsoever. In addition, simply wearing them forces you to shift your weight forward and alter your standing and walking mechanics in ways that decrease your stability and make it more difficult to balance.

The result is that wearing high heels can significantly increase your risk of stumbling, falling, and twisting an ankle—enough to sprain or sometimes even break it. The risk is even higher if you're tired, in a crowded location, or walking on uneven surfaces.

Because your whole body weight is shifted forward and your biomechanics change when wearing high heels, painful problems don't just stay in your feet. Every part of your body, from legs to back to shoulders, has to adjust in order to keep your balance. And that means the pain can occur almost anywhere.

For example, regular high heel use has been linked to chronic knee pain, hip problems, hamstring and calf injuries, and back pain. All because you have to carry yourself differently when wearing heels.

Is There a "Safe" Way to Wear High Heels?

When you're playing sports, your feet face far more pressure than they do on a normal day. Sudden direction changes, artificial surfaces such as turf, and sudden starts and stops dramatically increase your risk for ankle sprains, torn ligaments, and hard-to-heal injuries such as Jones fractures. For that reason, picking a generic pair of supportive shoes isn't enough to prevent sports injuries. Instead, you'll need to look for shoes specifically designed to support the moves of your chosen form of exercise. 

Running

Runners need to select lighter shoes that have plenty of flexibility. At the same time, the shoes should have lots of traction on the soles, to keep you from slipping during training. Finally, look for pairs that provide additional cushioning and stability to help reduce your risk for running injuries. 

Basketball

When you hit the court, you'll have to quickly change directions as you cut to the hoop then fall back on defense. Unfortunately, these quick shifts put lots of pressure on your ankles. That's why most ball players prefer high tops, for added ankle stability designed to prevent rolling injuries. 

Football or Soccer

When you're playing on turf or grass, you'll need to swap supportive shoes for cleats. These shoes are designed to keep you stable on unforgiving or slippery surfaces. But, if not fitted properly, they can actually harm your feet, as their hard exterior shell can lead to black or ingrown toenails if your feet slide around and slam into the end of the shoe. Furthermore, it's important to select pairs that aren't too stiff, since they can leave you with foot and heel pain, especially if you spend lots of time wearing the cleats on the field. 

While proper fitting is critical for preventing sports injuries, it's equally important for everyday foot gear. Now, if you think that's obvious, think again—in a study published in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, researchers revealed that up to 72% of people in the US wear the wrong size shoe for their feet. And that can cause a whole host of problems.  But how can you tell if you're one of the majority of Americans wearing the wrong shoe size? Here are some clear signs that it's time to get those feet measured again. 

Effects of Wearing Supportive Shoes That Aren't the Right Size

If you're wearing shoes with an ill-fitting toe box then your toes will give you the first cry for help. If the shoe is too tight, your toenails may change color or even detach, because of the pressure the toes experience from getting pressure along the shoe edge.

Blisters are another sign of a shoe that's too big—or too small. If you wear a size too large for your feet, they'll slide around in your shoes, causing blisters to form from the friction. At the same time, tight shoes will also rub against your feet, again leaving you with blisters.

Heel pain could also be a sign that your shoes don't fit your specific foot type—especially if you have a flat foot or high arch. If you pick a shoe that doesn't support your biomechanics, you could put pressure on your plantar fascia, and develop chronic heel pain. In some cases, choosing a shoe designed for your specific foot type can solve this problem. Other times, though, you'll need the added support of a custom orthotic to prevent pain and other complications.

Before KeryFlex, any treatment for fungal nails required a whole lot of patience. There are two big reasons for this:

• Fungal toenail infections are very difficult to eradicate. The nail itself provides good protection against topical medications, while relatively poor circulation to the toes means oral medications work slowly and may require 6-12 weeks of taking pills.
• The damage to the toenail doesn't just go away once the fungi are dead. You'll have to wait months—or maybe more than a year—for healthy nail to gradually replace the damaged portion.

So, if you didn't start getting serious about clearing up your unsightly toenails until the mercury started pushing 90, we had bad news for you—it'd probably be winter again by the time your toenails were fully clear.

Those who didn't want to wait for those kinds of results might have be tempted to slap an artificial nail overtop the damaged fungal nail. But that only traps moisture under the nail and makes the underlying infection worse, and much more difficult to treat.

But now, with KeryFlex, we can finally attack the medical problem AND the aesthetic problem at the same time, giving you instant visual results without impairing medical treatments that eradicate the fungus and stop it from continuing to damage your nail.

So what is KeryFlex?

If you want the full story, please feel free to check out this blog we wrote last year, which is packed with detailed information.

But here's the short version:

KeryFlex is an advanced nail restoration process that allows us to remodel the damaged surface of your nail, then bond an "artificial" clear nail overtop made from a flexible, breathable, medical-grade resin.

Unlike traditional artificial nails made from acrylic or other materials, a KeryFlex nail won't trap moisture underneath. It looks and feels real, and can be filed and painted like any other nail.

The full procedure, which requires several rounds of remodeling, application, curing, and sealing only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish, and the results last 6-8 weeks on average before you need another application.

In short, it's the reason you don't have to keep hiding your toes this summer. You can walk out with great-looking toenails today.

Clear Nails for the Long Term: Medical Treatments

Stop Hiding Your Nails!

MLS stands for Multiwave Lock System Laser. In our office, we use MLS Laser Therapy to relieve pain and inflammation using the healing power of the laser light beam. Because an MLS laser produces a high energy beam, it can penetrate deep beneath the surface layers of your skin. The result? Laser therapy can treat your heel pain directly at the source of the problem. Even better? It does so by stimulating your body's own healing capabilities, resulting in a faster, more natural recovery process. 

While this is a relatively new treatment option, the research already suggests that it is an equally if not more effective heel pain treatment option compared to physical therapy or even medications. And that's true whether your heel pain is a symptom of Achilles tendinitis or plantar fasciitis, two conditions we'll now explore in greater depth, with an eye to how laser therapy can address each condition.

Achilles tendinitis refers to inflammation in your Achilles tendon. When you develop that inflammation, you may experience a range of symptoms, including stiffness and dull pain in the back of your calf, in the areas surrounding your tendon. The pain can also extend to your heel and along the entire length of your tendon. Often a progressive condition, symptoms tend to get worse with movement or exercise. If not treated or rested, a serious case of Achilles tendinitis can result in an Achilles tendon rupture. For that reason, it's important to treat your pain as soon as you notice a problem. 

But why should you choose MLS Laser Therapy for this cause of heel pain? Here are just a few of the benefits you can expect: 

1. If your tendon is damaged or has mild tears, the laser will speed the healing process for that injury.  
2. At the same time, MLS laser therapy will increase blood flow to the treatment area, further speeding up the healing process. 
3. A quick feeling of pain relief, even after just one session. 
4. Reduced inflammation and swelling around the treatment area. 
5. Accelerated cell growth and tissue repair. 
6. Reduced fibrous tissue formation, preserving mobility and comfort during healing. 

Like Achilles tendinitis, plantar fasciitis is a condition caused by inflammation. In this case, the inflamed tendon is the plantar fascia, running along the bottom of your foot to your heel. Every time you walk, run or exercise, that tendon gets stressed out. Then, if your muscles remain tight, they can tug on the plantar fascia, causing heel and arch pain, inflammation, or even small tears to the tendon. 

In our office, plantar fasciitis is one of the leading causes of heel pain. To relieve the discomfort, patients can practice stretching exercises. A a pair of custom orthotics can help relieve plantar fasciitis and prevent it from returning, by removing stress from your overworked tendon. 

Now, all of those treatment options are very effective at relieving heel pain. However, they take time and consistency if patients want to see results. And so, for that reason, many patients choose to speed up their heeling process with the addition of laser therapy sessions. 

If you choose to treat plantar fasciitis with MLS Laser Therapy, you can expect to: 

1. Speed up the metabolism in your cells, leading to faster repair in your damaged tendon. 
2. Reduce inflammation in your plantar fascia. 
3.  Quickly reduce heel pain.
4. Reduce the time it takes to make a full recovery.
5. Help your body complete tissue repair with strong cells that are more resilient.

1. The way you cut your nails

When it's time for a trim, cut straight across the nail, making sure to leave a bit of visible white growth. Also, avoid following the curve of the nail bed and moving into the corners. Why? Go too low or too curved on your clip, and you could cause trauma to the nail, increasing the risk of ingrowth.  Already have ingrown nails? Don't try to fix the problem at home: you'll end up in pain, and you're more likely to sustain an infection. 

2. Previous injuries. 

Any form of toenail trauma, from a stub to a dropped item on the nail, can change the way your nail grows. How could that be? An injury can push your nail down into your skin. If that happens, you may develop a painful, inflamed or infected ingrown toenail.  

3. The biomechanics of your foot.  

This term describes the way your muscles, tendons and ligaments interact as you move. In some cases, your biomechanics increase the risk for ingrown toenails. That's the case if your gait involves rolling off the edge of your big toe, because the pressure of that motion can cause the sharp edge of your nail to push into the delicate skin of the nail bed, leading to ingrowth.

• Pain, swelling or redness, on one or both sides of your nail
• Pus, drainage or bleeding on the sides of your nail 

If your discomfort improves in a few days, then you're in great shape. But if you still show signs of an ingrown toenail at that point, it's time to make an appointment with Dr. Lisa Brandy. 

Once you come into the office, we can treat ingrown toenails in several different ways. If you already have an infection, or if you've already had several ingrown toenails, surgery may be your best option. But, unlike other surgical procedures, when we perform an ingrown toenail surgery, we can provide treatment using local anesthetic for a quick and comfortable procedure. 

However, if those ingrown toenails keep coming back, you may need a more permanent solution. In such cases, medications that cauterize the nail matrix cells may provide a longer-lasting solution. Afterward, ingrowth should never again be a problem. 

But what if trauma is the cause of your ingrown nail? In that case, your entire nail plate may need to be removed. (This may also be your best treatment option if your nail is very thick or painful. Before such a procedure, we'll still numb the toe using an injection of local anesthesia. Next, we'll remove the nail. But this procedure is only recommended when you're dealing with chronic, painful ingrown toenails.) 

Would you prefer to avoid surgery—and the pain of an ingrown toenail? Let's try to steer clear of ingrown toenail treatments by preventing this problem instead!  

While it's true that these scanners know the shape of your foot, so the insoles they deliver are a bit more customized, they don't take into account your entire foot structure. Or your walking gait. The result? Scanned insoles offer more support than an over-the-counter insole. But they are still less supportive than a custom orthotic. 

In spite of this fact, they're more costly than drugstore shoe inserts. So, before purchasing a scanned insole, it's important to consult with Dr. Lisa Brandy, to see if this shoe insert can adequately address your foot pain. Otherwise, you'll spend more money than you need to, without finding the relief that you seek.  

If you hope to address biomechanical concerns and prevent injuries, the only inserts that will work are custom orthotics. In fact, in a recent study from Australia, we learned that custom orthotics can prevent running and sporting injuries. At the same time, the study confirms that scanned or drugstore insoles aren't up to this important task. In fact, they might increase your risk for injury. 

How could that be? It's simple. Over the counter insoles do pad your feet. As a result, it might take you longer to feel foot pain than if you weren't wearing inserts. And, because of that delay, your feet could be exposed to damaging external pressures for longer than they would if you didn't wear insoles. 

If you just need a bit of padding in your thin-soled shoes, go ahead and add some insoles to your checkout cart—and your sneakers. But if you're dealing with chronic heel or foot pain, or you're an athlete or runner, custom orthotics are your best investment. Why is that the case? Remember: insoles can't treat foot or ankle conditions. But custom orthotic devices can relieve or even prevent the conditions highlighted below. 

Shin Splints

This overuse injury is characterized by pain in the front lower section of your leg. It usually is worst when you run but improves with rest. If you already have shin splints, you'll need to briefly halt training so your body can heal. Then, once you're ready to resume runs, train with a custom orthotic in your shoe. Since these medical devices are constructed to compensate for your specific foot concerns, they can optimize your runs; put less strain on your muscles; and help prevent a return of those painful shin splints. 

Bone Spurs

These areas of abnormal bone growth develop because of external pressure on your feet or heels. If they form on your heel bone, they're called heel spurs. Typically, pressure from your Achilles tendon or plantar fascia leads to heel spurs. So, if you take pressure off your tendons and ligaments with custom orthotics, you may be able to prevent heel spurs from developing. Or, if you already have a bone spur, your orthotics could keep them from growing larger.  

Plantar Fasciitis

Custom orthotics can relieve the heel pain of plantar fasciitis. (which is inflammation in your plantar fascia, the tendon that runs along the bottom of your foot, between the heel and toes.) Because inflammation usually sets in due to external pressure, custom orthotics can reduce pressure by supporting your arches and the rest of your feet.

Orthotic Insoles for Tendonitis 

As with plantar fasciitis, custom orthotics can relieve and even prevent Achilles tendinitis. Whether your tendinitis is the result of flat feet or a new, intense workout routine, getting fitted for custom orthotics can reduce stress on your Achilles tendon and prevent inflammation from setting in. 

Custom Orthotic Insoles