5 Painful Conditions that Custom Orthotics Help Treat

You’ve seen orthotics at the store or when shopping online. But custom orthotics are specially designed inserts made from high-quality materials to support your unique feet and foot conditions. 

At Arlington/Mansfield Foot & Ankle Centers in Texas, our board-certified providers evaluate your feet and discuss your symptoms with you to determine if custom orthotics can help. If we determine orthotics can help, our team uses 3D laser technology to create an exact cast of your feet.

We consider your musculoskeletal system, underlying health conditions, existing foot troubles, your mobility goals, and relevant lifestyle factors, like shoe preference and occupation.

The result is a custom orthotic that offers a precise fit that over-the-counter, store-bought inserts simply can’t match. 

Custom orthotics can improve many podiatric conditions and even address ongoing knee, hip, or back pain. Here’s a closer at five painful conditions custom orthotics can help treat.    

1. Flat feet 

Some people develop flat feet as children, while others have adult-acquired flat feet, usually related to an issue with the tendon that connects the soles of your feet to the muscles in your calf. 

When this tendon stops working the right way, it can't lift the arch of your foot. This causes your arches to fall and the sole of your foot to lie flat.

While some people with flat feet don’t notice any problems, for others, the lack of support can trigger different podiatric and health issues, including tendonitis, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, chronic pain, and even arthritis. 

The good news is that for many patients, custom orthotics address the problematic symptoms associated with flat feet by providing the right support where you need it most—without adding any additional pressure. 

2. Heel bursitis

Your joints all have a bursa, a fluid-filled sac that helps the tendons and muscles move smoothly. Bursitis is a painful condition that results when the sac gets inflamed. When this happens in the heel joint, you have heel bursitis. 

Heel bursitis causes heel pain, sore, red skin that can be warm to the touch, and swelling in the heel. This pain often worsens when you walk, run, or stand on your toes. 

Custom orthotics help evenly distribute your weight, improve your balance, and reduce stress on your feet, easing the pain of heel bursitis. Your Arlington/Mansfield Foot & Ankle Centers provider may suggest using custom orthotics with heel wedges minimizes irritation and swelling in the bursa. 

3. Hammertoes

Hammertoes is a deformity at the joint of your toes that develops when the muscles in your toes and feet get imbalanced because of the shoes you wear or your gait, as well as other factors like advanced age or diabetes.

Wearing custom orthotics provides your feet and toes with better support. This can stop hammertoes from worsening and requiring surgical correction. They also ease the discomfort hammertoes can cause by alleviating pressure on spots with inflammation.  

4. Bunions

Bunions are bony protrusions or bumps at the joint where your big toe and foot meet (the metatarsophalangeal, or MTP, joint). They can cause pain, pressure, redness, inflammation, swelling, and soreness, making it difficult to walk or keep your balance. 

Bunions don’t get better and won’t go away unless surgically removed. However, custom orthotics provide a non-invasive therapy that can help you avoid surgery while relieving pain and restoring your foot function.

5. Diabetic foot issues

When you have diabetes, taking good care of your feet is important. This includes wearing shoes that fit you correctly to prevent blisters and other small foot wounds from forming.  

For many patients with diabetes, the best footwear includes using custom orthotic inserts. This helps you avoid wearing unsightly or obvious diabetic foot support. The custom orthotics from Arlington/Mansfield Foot & Ankle Center seamlessly fit many shoe types, including dress shoes and heels. 

Plus, custom orthotics eases any diabetic foot pain you might experience, making it easier for you to stay active on your feet and better control your blood sugar to avoid diabetic complications like neuropathy.

Ready to learn how custom orthotics can help you? Schedule an appointment online or over the phone with a provider at one of the Arlington/Mansfield Foot & Ankle Center locations in Texas.