Here’s a story that hopefully you’ll never have to experience for yourself: over the course of several months, you start to notice worrying problems with your house. Windows are sticking. Doors jam. Cracks start to appear in your walls or tile floors. You could, of course, fix these items one at a time. But if the problem is structural damage in your foundation, the problems will keep springing up faster than you can fix them. You’re treating the symptoms, but not the cause.
The same sort of scenario can produce recurring heel pain in your feet, which are the foundation for your entire body. You can prop your feet up, use ibuprofen or ice packs, even try a little stretching and massage. But if your heel pain is caused by a structural imbalance in the way your feet are shaped, these strategies will provide only temporary relief.
That’s where custom orthotics come in. Unlike cushioned insoles you buy off the shelf, custom orthotics are as unique as you are. When you visit our office for a fitting, we’ll take an impression of your feet so that we can get precise measurements and capture every curve and contour. That gets sent to a laboratory, where a pair of orthotics are fashioned just for you. Once they’re ready, you’ll return to our office and make any final small adjustments that might be necessary to get you the best possible result.
Why go to all this trouble? Because for those with structural foot flaws that produce heel pain, simple mass-produced inserts usually don’t do the trick—at least not well enough. By contrast, a custom orthotic can not only provide extra cushioning, but can rework the entire biomechanics of your walking stride. And because it’s individually crafted and fitted, it provides exactly the cushioning, support, and stability your feet need in exactly the right places.
In other words, custom orthotics—as long as you’re wearing them—can help you treat the cause of your heel pain, rather than just the symptoms. And they do it well enough that they can be an effective alternative to reconstructive surgery for many people with structural deformities. They do have to be worn to provide relief, but a good pair that is well cared for can last for years even with daily use.
If you can’t seem to get rid of your heel pain, please contact the specialists at the Nevada Heel Pain Center. Along with orthotics, we provide many other advanced treatment options for a wide range of heel pain conditions, including shockwave therapy and surgical reconstruction. You can set up an appointment by dialing (702) 839-2010.
