Knee pain can happen for many reasons. But regardless of whether you're dealing with an old injury, arthritis, or discomfort that seems to come out of nowhere, the impact on your daily life can be significant.
Some kinds of knee pain are chronic and hard to pinpoint, but one underappreciated factor might be right beneath your feet—alignment issues starting with your posture and footwear. Custom orthotics offer a potential solution for knee pain, as they target the root of the issue, helping to realign and stabilize your body.
Custom orthotics can relieve alignment issues and strain
Your body works as one interconnected system. A misalignment in one part often leads to discomfort or pain elsewhere. And because your feet are the foundation of the rest of your skeletal system when standing or walking, you’ll feel it when they’re not properly aligned.
Misalignment can take many forms but often starts when the arches of your feet are too high, too low, or uneven. Over time, these slight but significant imbalances force your ankles, knees, hips, and lower back to compensate, increasing strain on joints and tissues. This imbalance may lead to improper walking patterns (known as gait issues), which put extra pressure and tension on your knees.
Custom orthotics solve this problem at its source by correcting your foot alignment. By supporting your arches and promoting even weight distribution, orthotics can help reduce tension in your knees and give your entire body the stability it needs to thrive.
Orthotics for knee pain
Knee pain that can be corrected or helped with orthotics tends to be chronic—that is, gradual pain that gets worse the more you’re on your feet, or just with years of using non-supportive footwear. Plus, people who already have diagnosed chronic knee problems can experience worsened symptoms if their feet aren’t providing a symmetrical foundation.
For example:
- Osteoarthritis in the knee can result from years of uneven joint strain caused by poor foot alignment. Orthotics can redistribute pressure, keeping the forces on both knees balanced and thereby reducing inflammation.
- Runner's knee frequently stems from misaligned movement patterns while running. Orthotics can correct your gait, reducing strain on the affected knee.
- Chondromalacia patellae, where the cartilage under the kneecap wears down, can improve with orthotics that reduce your knees' stress during movement.
Custom orthotics go beyond over-the-counter insoles because they cater specifically to your foot shape, activity level, and pain points, providing targeted relief for knee pain quickly and for a long time.
Orthotics for hip pain
Hip pain might also be linked to your feet if you have structural issues, or especially if one leg is slightly longer than the other (leg length discrepancy). When you don’t have a totally balanced foundation, your knees and hips can experience more stress as they try to compensate for the misalignment and imbalance.
Hip pain conditions orthotics may help with include:
- Bursitis: Orthotics can reduce the joint stress that exacerbates inflammation in the hip's bursae (fluid-filled sacs that cushion the joint).
- IT band syndrome (common in runners): By correcting improper mechanics, orthotics help prevent this painful condition.
- Overuse-related hip pain from standing or walking on hard surfaces all day benefits from the shock-absorbing properties of custom orthotics.
By creating a steady foundation, orthotics can minimize stress on the hips and support smoother, pain-free movement throughout your daily life.
Orthotics for lower back pain
Finally, poor foot alignment can also radiate pain and misalignment into your lower back. The connection lies in the way your feet influence your posture and the chain reaction that travels upward when misalignments occur.
Examples of lower back conditions that orthotics may help address are:
- Sciatica: Misalignment and uneven walking patterns can worsen nerve compression, but orthotics encourage balance to ease pressure on your lower back.
- Spondylosis (arthritis in the spine): Supporting your feet can help reduce the wear and tear on your lower back caused by uneven gait patterns.
- Chronic lower back pain related to postural issues improves with orthotics that stabilize your base, encouraging better whole-body alignment.
A pair of well-fitted custom orthotics can offer relief for lower back pain by supporting your spine from the ground up.
Michigan-made custom orthotics
For many of our patients, having foot, ankle, hip, or knee pain was just part of life for many years. But getting used to being in pain all the time isn’t the same as finding targeted relief that allows you to do more with less discomfort.
At Biocorrect, we specialize in custom orthotics that are as unique as you are. Our pedorthic specialists can give you the answers you’ve been looking for using cutting-edge technology and personalized anatomical evaluations. You will be amazed at what life feels like when you have the support your feet, ankles, knees, hips, and back truly need.
Get started by calling our team in Grand Rapids or by requesting a virtual or in-clinic appointment today.
