Yet another article being peddled around the internet full of misinformation. As much as this may read like an article based on well researched studies etc... The references regarding orthoses are from an article published in the New York Times (last time I checked the NYT isnt a publication frequently publishing quality research from experts in the field) Claims: Orthotics will make your condition worse. Orthotics do not allow proper muscle functioning or activation to take place. Orthotics increase joint stress by almost 50% Unfortunately all 3 claims are completely false. I can think of a handful of actual research articles that show the exact opposite! There are 2 essential criteria for an orthotic to be effective (plus a few others, but Im trying to keep this brief-ish) 1 - thorough assessment & diagnosis. 2 - a correct orthotic prescription. An additional criteria for effective treatments is for a practitioner to take steps to address any other factors that may be contributing to your condition. Muscle imbalances, poor movement patterns etc... Will always need to be addressed too. This is done via corrective exercises, soft tissue therapy, referral to another service provider etc... Are orthotics over prescribed? In some instances yes, some practitioners do over prescribe orthotics. This is unfortunate and a source of my endless frustration. I have had a number of patients come in who weve thrown their orthotics in the bin and worked on other areas and its been happy days. The take home message here. 1: Dont take the opinions of others as fact. Opinions vs a university degree in a particular field are two VERY different things. Lets not forget to mention the $1000s spent on continuing education each and every year. 2: If you feel like you are being pressured in to a treatment by a health practitioner (Im not just talking about podiatrists here!) you have every right to seek a second opinion. 3: Ask questions! As Einstein said If you cant explain it simply, you dont understand it well enough
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 10:27:34 +0000
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