Often, people have a kind of growth in the heel area, called a spur. It injures soft tissues when a person leans on the heel and causes intense pain when pressed on it. Orthopedic insoles for heel spurs help to avoid pain when walking, and are also a good preventive method. Consider what orthopedic insoles exist, their differences and features.
Heel spur
A wedge-shaped spike on the calcaneal tuberosity resulting from inflammation of the plantar fascia is called a spur. It causes pain when walking, which contributes to impaired gait and reduced living standards. As a rule, a spur is formed with developed flat feet, due to the fact that the normal redistribution of the load on the foot is disturbed and the tendons of the plantar aponeurosis are damaged. Often, the occurrence of pathology is due to an injury to the calcaneus or is a consequence of chronic joint disease. The most common cause of spurs isphysiological position of the feet, orthopedic insoles help to correct this defect, since they are designed specifically to maintain the foot in the anatomical position and cushion the foot well. Orthopedic insoles for heel spurs are prescribed as a means of conservative treatment or are used to prevent the disease.
What are orthopedic insoles?
Orthopedic insoles are called special devices that look like liners in flat shoes. They support the physiological position of the foot when walking, acting as a corset for it. Often, these devices are equipped with special shock-absorbing tabs that help lighten the load on the arch of the foot and help to dampen the shock wave while walking. Such insoles repeat the arch of the foot in exact accordance with its shape. Orthopedic insoles for heel spurs, photos of which are presented in our article, support the heel bone in an elevated position. Under the heel, the insole usually has a soft shock-absorbing insert, which allows you to reduce the pressure of the spur on the soft tissue of the leg when walking and reduce the degree of pain. In addition, the design of orthopedic insoles for heel spurs helps to maintain the longitudinal and transverse arch of the foot. This support helps the healing of the plantar aponeurosis and improves the cushioning of the foot in various types of flat feet.
Heel pads
A variety of orthopedic insoles are heel pads that support the foot in the areaheel bone. The material for their manufacture is cork, genuine leather, silicone, medifoam (modern synthetic material). They are sold in shoe and orthopedic stores, pharmacies and via the Internet. Orthopedic insoles for heel spurs, according to consumer reviews, are not all the same, what you need to pay attention to when buying. Their types are determined by a specific purpose. If this is not taken into account, you may not get the expected effect from the product.
Shock-absorbing heel pad
Shock-absorbing heel pad can be rounded or wedge-shaped. This type of device is used for the following painful conditions: heel spur, arthrosis of the joints of the lower extremities, foot injuries in the heel area. In the center of the liner there is a hard area that massages the soft tissues of the heel while walking and softens the marginal osteophyte. The heel pad helps to improve the depreciation of the foot, reduce the shock load on the heels, joints and spine. There are other types of orthopedic insoles for heel spurs.
Gel cupped heel pad
Medical silicone is used as a material for its manufacture. The product is equipped with hard sides along the edges and a soft springy insert in the center. This version of the orthopedic insole is designed for the anatomically correct position of the foot in the shoe and provides physiologically correct leg movement when walking. Comfortable conditions for the heel are provided by a shock-absorbing insert, it is alsois responsible for reducing pain during support on the heel bone and improving local blood circulation and metabolic processes. This product can also be used for shoes with heels. Heel pads with bumpers are specially designed to securely fix the foot in a physiological position.
All types of orthopedic insoles for heel spurs come in different sizes. Therefore, when purchasing such a product, you need to measure the exact length of the foot. The insole should fit snugly against the bottom of the shoe, and heel pads can even be glued into the heel area to prevent the liner from slipping.
Benefits of wearing orthopedic insoles
In some pathologies of the musculoskeletal system requires the wearing of orthopedic insoles, in addition, they are used to prevent diseases of the axial skeleton. When a heel spur occurs, insoles and heel pads are indispensable helpers. Wearing orthopedic insoles has a number of advantages, which should be mentioned separately. They perform the following functions:
- Prevention of diseases of the spine and joints.
- Fixing the foot in a physiological position while wearing shoes.
- Hard inserts have a massage effect on the plantar surface of the foot, help improve blood circulation in the lower extremities.
- Gel pads cushion the foot and reduce the pressure of the spurs on the heel, have an analgesic effect.
- Orthopedic insoles for heel spurs support the heel in an elevated position,reducing pressure on the plantar aponeurosis.
- Reduce fatigue in the lower extremities during prolonged exercise and sports.
- The use of these devices reduces the duration of conservative treatment, is used in shock wave therapy and during the recovery period after surgery.
The choice of model and type of orthopedic insole or heel pad is up to you, but it is better to consult an orthopedist or surgeon who can give qualified advice.
Product care
To make orthopedic insoles for heel spurs last longer, care tips include regular washing with warm soapy water and drying without using heat sources. Doctors advise to systematically replace old insoles with new ones, as they wear out and lose some of their shock-absorbing functions. Products made from natural materials (cork, felt, leather) are less likely to be replaced. Silicone products are even more durable. With proper care, they are quite possible to use for several years. In addition, they prevent the appearance of an unpleasant odor if there is sweating of the feet. Consider which orthopedic insoles to prefer for heel spurs - silicone or others.
How to choose insoles?
Modern manufacturers offer a very wide selection of insoles with orthopedic support. The choice of these products must be approached very carefully, ashow an improperly selected insole can aggravate the disease, and not help in its correction. All insoles must be equipped with an arch support, which is located under the inner arch of the foot, have a recess and special wedge-shaped inserts in the heel area. There should also be a metatarsal cushion in the insole. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to the material from which the products are made, because it is the quality of the material that ensures wearing comfort. Insoles are leather, felt, silicone, gel and leather substitutes. The configuration of the insoles also varies. We have already talked about some types in this article.
Recall once again what varieties of them exist:
- orthopedic insoles of a combined or longitudinal structure, they are used mainly for flat feet;
- semi-insoles that do not have a toe (suitable for wearing in narrow shoes);
- heel pads are designed to reduce stress on the heels.
Which orthopedic insoles for heel spurs are better to buy?
When choosing, you need to pay attention to the fact that the insole must repeat the shape of the foot exactly. It is also very important when choosing orthopedic insoles to take into account the size of the foot, its anatomical structure, body weight, and the severity of the pathology. Sometimes orthopedists recommend insoles made to order in a special workshop. This is the most comfortable option.
DIY insoles
If you wish, you can make orthopedicdo-it-yourself insoles for heel spurs. This will require old shoe insoles, a dense roller of cotton wool or felt, and fabric. The material is better to take cotton. It is necessary to cut out a pattern from it along the contour of the insole and glue it, covering the roller with it, then return it to the shoes. It is important to calculate the lift height correctly.
Reviews
The use of insoles or heel pads in the treatment and prevention of diseases of the musculoskeletal system finds a lot of feedback, mostly positive. Patients note that when wearing devices, their legs get tired less, pain in the lumbar region disappears, pain decreases, swelling disappears, the ability to move is facilitated and the results of shock wave therapy improve. The disadvantages of these products are their fragility, which is why the insoles have to be changed often.
In conclusion
The systematic use of orthopedic insoles and heel pads help relieve the load on the sore foot, reduce the damaging effect of the heel spur on the plantar fascia and soft tissues.
Insoles normalize local blood flow and prevent pain in the heel area. In connection with the foregoing, it must be recalled that both insoles and heel pads are auxiliary devices and do not cancel conservative or surgical treatment, but can only be used as part of complex therapy. The use of insolesthe time of remission of the disease and the absence of acute manifestations contributes to the prevention of relapses of the disease and reduces the shock load on the musculoskeletal system.
So, we looked at how to choose orthopedic insoles for heel spurs.
