Certified Pedorthist Demon Thompson explains the importance of custom orthotics and their benefits. This question has been asked over and over by patients. Today I’m going to give you the answer to this age old question. Before I get into why orthotics should be worn, let me first start by giving you a brief explanation as to what an orthotic actually is. A custom functional foot orthotic is a device prescribed by a physician and is created from a non-weight bearing mold of your feet. This device is worn inside of your shoes and can be removed and placed in other shoes that may be worn. This gives you the freedom of being able to wear your orthotics at all times without having to wear the same pair of shoes. Now that you’ve had a crash course in what an orthotic is, let’s get into why you should wear orthotics. Orthotics are used to control the alignment and function of the foot, much like the tire rods are used to control the alignment and function of the tires on your car. In order to treat or prevent an injury that causes force on the bones, joints, tendons and ligaments, the feet and body must be in its proper alignment. Some people suffer from excessive pronation (when your feet roll-in) and excessive supination (when your feet roll-out) which can lead to other problems if not corrected. Let’s take your car for an example, if you never correct the alignment on your car, you can change your tires as often as you like, but they will continue to wear faster and faster depending on how bad the alignment becomes. The same goes for your feet, if you never correct the alignment, the excessive pronation and supination will gradually become worse and could ultimately lead to some debilitating deformities. Bottom line is, everyone will not need the same amount of correction and/or support, but it’s certain that everyone needs some support. Visit your local Podiatrist to find out exactly where your alignment rests. Now you are armed with the knowledge to make an informed decision of why you should wear custom orthotics. For an appointment and more information please visit us at www.atlanticfeet.com or you can call our office at 912-355-4557.