If you’ve had foot pain for a while you’ve probably sought help from your doctor or local podiatrist, and more than likely you’ve been told you need orthotics to fix your foot pain. This is because the way your feet walk and move, can put extra pressure and load on the ligaments, muscles and joints of the feet and legs leading to pain. What you probably weren’t told is that in many cases there is an effective alternative that can help foot pain problems, without the need for expensive orthotics and the shoes to fit them in.

Now don’t get me wrong, as a podiatrist I understand the value and use of orthotics in appropriate cases. But for so many of the clients I see, they are looking for a solution to their foot pain and they don’t want to give up their beautiful shoes for ‘granny shoes’ or be depending on orthotic insoles for pain relief.

If this sounds like you then keep reading…

You see orthotics don’t fix foot pain, they just change the forces and loads going through your feet allowing your body to then heal itself from within. What this means is that you have to wear them to get the benefit, and if you take the orthotics away your pain is likely to come back.

“When your feet are correctly aligned and functioning as nature intended your body’s internal healing system can work its magic and heal your pain or injury”

There is a universal saying that ‘everything works best when it’s in the right place’. When your feet are correctly aligned and functioning as nature intended, your body’s internal healing system can work its magic and heal your pain or injury. Most painful feet that we see suffer from misalignment, and as a result of these structural misalignments in the feet, the ligaments, muscles and joints of the feet and legs are over working.  Over time this leads to painful conditions like heel pain, arch pain, Achilles Tendonitis, Plantar Fasciitis, neuromas, bunions and so much more.

It’s because of this misalignment that so many health professionals will recommend orthotic inserts as the solution, and as I said this can definitely help. But what you are often not told is that:

• Orthotics don’t fit and work in all shoes, and in many cases, you will have to change your footwear to get the best benefit
• You have to wear them at least 80% of the time to get the value of them and if you don’t, they are unlikely to work
• They have to be replaced every few years as they wear out and can lose their effectiveness
• You might need more than one pair to fit different shoe styles, dramatically increasing the cost of treatment
• Not everyone can tolerate wearing orthotics, especially if you have stiff feet, and the last thing you want is an expensive orthotic device sitting in your cupboard

So, if you want to be able to go barefoot at the beach, wear thongs and sandals in summer and fashion shoes for work, then orthotics probably aren’t the solution you are looking for.

But what’s the alternative to an orthotic?

Well, in many cases there is an alternative treatment option available that can help foot pain problems without the need for orthotics and it’s called Foot Mobilisation Therapy (FMT). Foot Mobilisation Therapy is a gentle hands-on manual therapy treatment that works naturally with your body to improve your foot and ankle function by targeting misaligned, stiff or dysfunctional joints. These techniques focus on improving and restoring the normal range of pain-free joint motion, so that when your feet are correctly aligned and functioning as nature intended, the incredible power of your body’s internal healing system can work its magic. This allows you to naturally heal your foot pain problems in most cases without the need for orthotic insoles, special shoes, drugs or surgery.

To maximise the benefits of your Foot Mobilisation Therapy treatments, your practitioner will likely prescribe specific corrective exercises. These are done from the comfort of your own home in just a few minutes a day and ensure that you achieve the best possible results by helping your foot strength, flexibility and balance improve.

Initially, Foot Mobilisation Therapy treatment is performed at more frequent intervals and extends out as your mobility improves and you return to normal activity levels. Once the initial treatment has been completed, a maintenance routine of 2-6 visits a year help’s your body to maintain good foot function and posture, to be better able to cope with everyday stresses of life.

Foot Mobilisation Therapy treatment can help foot pain problems by:

• Improving the quality of movement in your joints and stimulating your body’s joint lubrication system (synovial fluid) as mobility is restored. This is like giving your joints a grease and oil change.
• Releasing connective tissue restrictions to reduce load and strain to the ligaments, muscles and tendons in your feet and legs allowing more movement with less pain.
• Foot Mobilisation Therapy can help the muscles surrounding your joints becoming stronger as it helps revitalise the nerve messages from the brain to the muscles, and when combined with your prescribed foot exercises helps build muscle strength.
• Stimulating the mechanoreceptors of the joints with each treatment, helps reduce pain messages by reducing the firing of the Type IV nociceptor (pain) impulses.
• Improving your balance through the stimulation of your body’s balancing system (proprioception); as your base of support becomes more stable, your balance and coordination also improves.

Now Foot Mobilisation Therapy doesn’t help everyone, and it is not recommended where you have:

• Suspected fractures
• Hypermobile joints
• Joint Coalitions or,
• Bony blocks in your feet.

And this is why having an assessment with a skilled and experienced clinician, is vital to determining if Foot Mobilisation Therapy is the right option for you. Currently we’re running a $25 complete initial consultation special, so you’ll only pay $25 for the initial assessment (normally $97) saving you $72.

So, if you want your foot pain gone and you don’t want to give up your beautiful shoes, or have to wear orthotic insoles all the time, then Foot Mobilisation Therapy could be the solution you are looking for.

To find out more and take advantage of our current $25 initial consultation special, get in touch with Raquel at our Kent Town centre on 8239 0800, or Wendy at our Glenelg centre on 8294 0100 for an appointment today, or CLICK HERE to book your no-obligation bunion assessment today.