Is It For Me?

How do I know if Functional Orthotic Therapy is worth trying for my particular problems?

Given that around 70% of the population have some degree of abnormal foot function, the vast majority of people could benefit from Functional Orthotic Therapy.

Think of prescription orthoses like glasses or contact lenses. Many of us need that bit of extra help in order to see properly. Custom functional orthoses are like prescription glasses/contact lenses, they improve our own ability where we are naturally deficient.

Case studies have shown that Functional Orthotic Therapy plays a unique and important role in the long-term success of any healthcare treatment plan for those with recurrent, acute-on-chronic and/or chronic musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction.

The reason for this is simple. If our feet don't function effectively, the structural integrity, posture, balance and freedom of movement of the rest of the body is compromised. Any treatments, therapies or medications used to treat chronic musculoskeletal problems will be unable to significantly improve overall health where foot function remains compromised.

What do I need to do?

Functional Orthotic Therapy is a different type of healthcare option. It is not as simple as taking painkillers to distract us from the pain, or relying on the myriad of treatments offering symptomatic relief of the pain, stiffness and soreness. It is a whole-body approach to understanding and actually controlling the underlying causes so that the pain reduces or goes away for good and your overall health improves.

Although simply wearing the orthoses can make a significant contribution to your health and wellbeing, investing time and effort to learn about and improve nutrition, sleep and how you sit, move and use your body can bring many additional benefits and speed up the recovery process.

Functional Orthotic Therapy is an active form of healthcare and in order for it to work, the individual must be prepared to learn, change and become aware of their own body.

This breaks the tradition of relying solely on medical advice from doctors, and builds on the patient/practitioner relationship in private treatments like chiropractic, oestopathy, podiatry or physiotherapy.

In order to truly improve your health, it is essential to know what the problems are and necessary to discover the best ways of controlling them. This does not mean self-diagnosis, it means self-awareness and education to know where to go to for the right type of help and advice. Armed with the right information, you can then begin the journey of discovery that will lead you to a healthier life.

Wearing prescription orthoses is not the only answer, but abnormal foot function is a very common problem that affects many people's health and has previously not been recognised or properly controlled. It is not the only access into a personalised holistic healthcare plan, but it is a very sensible one.