Orthotics Screening
Orthotic Screening
When the foot hits the ground, everything changes in your body. People who are hypermobile need to make sure their feet are stable when walking and running. When you stand, your foot pushes down on the ground, and the ground pushes up with equal and opposite pressure. This is called a ground reaction force.
When standing, the ground reaction force on each foot is half your body weight, so a 100 lb person has 50 lb on their right foot and 50 lb on their left foot. This 50 lb of downward pressure is constantly trying to make your foot flat while standing. You can only observe your foot being flat when your foot is on the ground.
Having flat feet can cause foot pain, ankle pain, knee pain, hip pain, and low back pain in the hypermobile population. Having good customer orthotics to control your pronation (flat feet) can dramatically reduce the pain in these areas.
Can I just strengthen my feet because 50lbs doesn’t seem like that much force?
Here is where it gets interesting. Standing in an upright posture is the least amount of ground reaction force your feet need to deal with on a daily basis. The ground reaction force for walking is three times your body weight with every step you take. So now my hundred-pound patient produces a ground reaction force of 300lb with every step they take.
It gets even worse when running or jumping. When you run or jump, the ground reaction force rockets to 7 to 10 times your body weight. Now, my hundred-pound person has to control 700-1000 lbs. of force on their feet, exerted from the ground every time they go for a run. This is why running is so difficult in the hypermobility population.
During my five-hour evaluation and treatment session, I will tape your feet to control the bones in your feet just like a custom orthotic would do. Then you can determine if your pain reduction in your feet, ankles, knees, hips, and low back is worth the price of a custom orthotic. We do not make orthotics here; you would need to find an Orthotist or a podiatrist to make them for you in your area.