Many of us enjoy recreational sport and keeping fit, while others engage in higher levels of competition and training. From the individual who wants to move more to the major athlete and all levels in between, orthotics can help to decrease pain and increase your comfort to make training sessions and sport participation more enjoyable.

For those who engage in sport, athletes especially, the training and dedication is unmatched. The greatest fear is having to sit out due to pain.

When we experience pain, our focus, effort and energy shift to compensate for it and block it out. We’ve all experienced pain before and know how much energy it can take out of us, energy that we need for sport performance.

Top causes of pain in sport

Overtraining – This can happen to everyone from the elite athlete to the beginner. Overtraining occurs when the volume or frequency of training or sport participation exceed the body’s ability to recover. Common injuries resulting from overtraining are stress fractures, overuse injuries, tendinitis and bursitis. These can be acute (short term) or chronic conditions (long term) and their symptoms range from inflammation to severe pain. All of these can be treated in a myriad of ways including orthotics. Custom made orthotics can be used to offload painful areas, reduce strain on certain tendons and muscle groups and generally bring comfort to the athlete by changing their relationship with the ground.

Biomechanics – Biomechanics refers to the way the body moves. There is a neutral or normal gait that is the standard against which we measure when looking at abnormalities or compensations. Sometimes the compensations are made due to our genetics, the way our tendons, ligaments, muscles and bones have all grown and formed over the years of use, and sometimes those compensations can be the result of an injury or pain. The way we move is so important when it comes to athletic performance at all levels. Abnormalities in gait and biomechanics can be a precursor to injury and cause discomfort and even pain all on their own. The goal of orthotics is to offload painful areas and either correct or accommodate the structures of the feet and therefore the way they interact with the ground and how we move.

Common conditions that can impact an athlete’s ability to perform at their sport are:

Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, runner’s knee, medial knee pain and heel spurs.

All of these conditions can be alleviated with custom made orthotics, tailor made to the athlete and their footwear, whether that be skates, cleats or running shoes.

Orthotics are a tool we can use to mitigate the risk of biomechanical deficiencies at the foot level and help reduce potential limitations from injury and overtraining, depending on the condition and affected areas (mainly feet, knees and hips.)

Impact of orthotics on sport performance

Over the counter or custom-made orthotics can offload painful areas, stabilize and support the structures of the foot and correct or accommodate for those structures.

Decrease pain by offloading painful area – For example, if the front of the foot feels like you’re walking on a bruise, one possibility is that the front arch, the transverse arch, of the foot that supports the toes is dropped, sitting lower than the rest of the foot and therefore placing more pressure on the ball of the foot and increasing pain, an orthotics would offload that area by adding a little bump at the front called a metatarsal pad to put the pressure back through the other bones of the foot and support the transverse arch, so long as the ball of the foot is flexible and has mobility. If the arch of the foot was dropped and inflexible, additional suction would be added under the ball of the foot to give more comfort and accommodate the inflexible structure.

Increased confidence with support and stability – In the event that the foot is flexible or has sustained an injury to make it unstable, fear plagues the athlete, and risk of injury increases as they become distracted with avoiding injury or compensating for one instead of focusing on their athletic performance. For example, if the foot pronates, rolls inward, with each step but is correctable and flexible, an orthotics will offer support along the medial arch or the inside of the foot, to control and support the movement of the feet and decrease the ability of the foot to drag the rest of the leg inward, twisting the knee and hip along with it and increasing the risk of injury. By offering stability and support, an orthotic can alleviate the athletes fear of injury and let them get back to focusing on their training and performance during sport.

Orthotics can correct or accommodate for biomechanics to enhance the athletes’ natural abilities without fear of pain or compensation. Over-the-counter options are on the market and available widely from a variety of retailers, however even with over-the-counter models it can be hard to know what would work best for you and give you the best athletic performance. Custom made orthotics are uniquely designed and tailored to your foot structure and needs; made by certified clinicians and a commitment to ongoing care, custom made orthotics can directly address unique presentations of biomechanics in the foot and alleviate the pain and stresses of overtraining particular to a specific individual’s needs.

How BioPed can help

BioPed Certified Pedorthists are uniquely positioned to take you through the entire process from initial assessment to orthotic creation and fittings to adjustments and ongoing care. Whether you’re just starting a program, wanting to train for a marathon or are a seasoned athlete dealing with old injuries or new fears, BioPed is here to help you on your athletic journey and keep your feet happy and healthy as you pursue your active goals in sport.

Find you local clinic and book your appointment today!

As the sweltering heat fades and sunsets come earlier, we still want to be outdoors and active. The change in seasons is beautiful, but there are some important considerations for staying injury-free during outdoor activities.

Seasons have their hallmarks – winter has snow, summer has heat, spring has flowers and fall, well, fall has rain and leaves and cooler weather. All these factors need to be considered when engaging in outdoor activity in the fall.

Factors to consider:

Rain – with rain comes wet pavement, puddles galore, slick grass and more mud than is desirable. Although puddles and mud may be fun to jump in, when you’re trying to stay active, they can be massive barriers to getting in those fall hikes. The wetter the terrain, the more slick and treacherous it becomes, which may increase slips and falls.

Leaves – as with rain, the leaves that fall and coat the ground and cause the rakes to come out of the sheds are slippery when wet and even when dry, pose an increased risk to those active fall adventurers. Whether on the forest floor or your sidewalk or lawn, leaves can hide rocks, holes, roots, and other obstacles. This can cause injury when playing in the yard or taking a brisk walk. These ankle busters and toe catchers have a way of sneaking up on us while we admire the beauty of the changing colours.

Cooler weather – Perhaps the biggest harbinger of fall is the cool nip in the air. It’s fall and the morning mist settles on windshields and landscapes. Changes in temperature can cause the wetness of the ground to half freeze. As the season moves on, the half freeze gets deeper, resulting in an icy glaze on the ground and under the leaves.

Twisted ankles, strained knees and bruised bottoms can all result from keeping active in the changing weather conditions of fall. However, the answer is not to stop being active outdoors, but rather to better arm ourselves for the coming challenges of a changing season.

Practical considerations:

To combat the pitfalls of the rain, the leaves and the temperature drops, we need to consider what we can control to keep ourselves active in this beautiful season of the in-between.

Footwear – Proper footwear is essential for fall walking. Ensure the treads on your shoes are not worn down as this decreases traction and increases the likelihood of slipping and falling on wet, slippery and uneven surfaces. The tread of the shoes bites into the ground to stabilize us as we take a step – in a season already peppered with leaves and mud, trail treads are ideal. Footwear today is constructed with less rubber and more EVA. EVA wears down against pavement more quickly and also becomes more slippery than rubber even when rubber starts to wear. Consider swinging by a BioPed and picking out a new trail shoe to keep you safe on those trails this fall.

Footwear can also be selected to have a wider base of support. While typical running shoes have a narrower arch through the middle of the shoe for running performance, walking shoes and hiking boots have wider soles to maintain more contact with the ground over a larger area. This can help with balance, traction and stabilization.

Another feature of footwear is the upper material. We all know rubber boots keep the rain and mud off our feet, and no one likes getting their feet wet, unless of course, we’re at the beach, but rubber boots are not practical for walking and hiking as their fit is larger and often not comfortable on the ankle during longer excursions.

Although most shoes are made with a mesh upper, there is a water resistant material that is used in some shoes we stock at BioPed called Gortex. This material has limited stretch, but can keep the water out if you happen to be caught in a fall rain or slosh through a puddle.

Orthotics – If you already have foot pain, ankle instability or knee pain you may be wearing or need custom made or over the counter orthotics to help cushion, control and stabilize the foot to decrease pain and increase comfort. These insoles are built for and around your foot and its needs. Our BioPed clinicians are able to assess the feet and legs, build the orthotic and provide ongoing care for the orthotic throughout this and all seasons. Orthotics can help prevent pain, treat current foot issues and provide comfort and stability to keep you active in this season of difficult terrain.

Bracing – BioPed also offers a wide variety of bracing for the knees and ankles. If you have chronic joint pain and are worried about the terrain, or are dealing with an acute injury because of it, our clinicians are trained to assess, measure and fit over the counter and custom braces for the lower limb to keep you feeling stable and the joints safe during fall excursions, whether it be on the trails or around the block. Feeling safe and secure is half the battle, and our line of compression based braces for the ankle and knee can help you be more aware of the joints, keep swelling and pain down while walking and aid in recovery while keeping you active.
In short, fall can cause some treacherous terrain, but for those of us who want to get out and do more before the snows fall we want to feel secure and be safe while out walking in the changing weather. By taking care of our feet, ankles and knees we can prolong our walks and enjoy the season outdoors in the fresh air.

Our BioPed clinicians are happy to help you with all your fall walking needs. Give us a call or find us online to book a complimentary assessment – this includes assessing your current footwear and making recommendations to keep your feet and joints happy and healthy during this fall season. Keep your feet under you this season – leave the falling to the leaves.