ORTHOSES AND BALANCE IN THE AGING PATIENT
with chronic lower back pain (more than 3
months). They looked at 3 groups of patients
with chronic low back pain: without treatment,
with orthotics only, and with orthotics plus
chiropractic treatment. Their results showed
that foot orthotics without chiropractic
intervention improved back pain and improved
function after 6 weeks. The addition of
chiropractic treatment to orthotics further
improved function but no difference in pain. In
support of this, Castro-Mendez and colleagues
demonstrated that back pain can be caused
by foot/ankle pathology such as subtalar joint
hyper pronation. They found that foot orthotics
are a good short-term solution for resolving low
back pain.
Conclusion
As we age it is important that we take good
care of our bodies. Eating healthy, exercising,
and keeping our mind sharp becomes more
important than ever. Although changes in
life style and habits are beneficial to our
overall health, we cannot forget to take care
of our feet; after all it is our feet that keep us
moving. One of the many ways that we can
take care of our feet is to make sure that we
optimize function by using proper footwear
and if needed foot orthoses. Orthoses help to
preserve structural and functional attributes
of the neuromusculoskeletal system as well as
being one of the best conservative treatments
for addressing existing foot pathologies and
in many cases augmenting other available
treatments.
Flat Feet?
Sprains?
Heel Spurs?
Plantar Fasciitis?
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Current Pedorthics | May/June 2018
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