Orthotics And Chiropractics

Most people who don’t know too much about chiropractic care are surprised to learn that it can be used to treat a variety of conditions aside from neck and back pain. For whatever reason, the popular stereotype for chiropractic adjustments relates only to the upper body, but as any regular chiropractic patient will gladly tell you, the benefits of manual adjustments and manipulations can extend beyond the back and into other areas of the body that may be experiencing pain or discomfort, including the feet.

I have to admit that I didn’t always know that chiropractors can assess the health of your foot, but I was educated on this topic by reading a highly informative article by Bodi Empowerment. Here is what I learned about the intersection between orthotics andchiropractic care.

First, how do you know if you even need orthotics, devices to improve the health and posture of your feet? Ask yourself the following questions. Are your feet constantly or regularly in any sort of pain or discomfort? Do you have bunions or heel spurs? Have you noticed that you tend to wear out new shoes surprisingly quickly, as in under six months or less? Check your posture and see if you have bowed legs, or if your feet are turned in or out at odd angles. If youcan confirm any of these correlate to your own body, than you may need orthotics (don’t worry, it doesn’t mean that your days of walking independently are over!).

Now, how can a doctor of chiropractic help to assess the health of your feet? Well to start, they will probably want to take a look at your pelvic bones. Why is this, you may be wondering? The structure of the pelvis is actually directly linked to the posture of your feet, believe it or not. This is because the toe bones are connected to the bones in the feet, which are in turn connected to your ankle, leg, and knee bones. Moving farther up the body, your knee bones are connected to the bones in your thighs and hips, which is where your pelvic region rests.

If the bones of your feet are malformed or somehow placed in an incorrect posture, it can directly cause you to feel pain in your lower back, since you are not getting the proper support you need from the ground up. Talk with your chiropractor if you think there may be a link between pain in your feet and back, and they may suggest orthotics.

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