Plantar Orthoses

Feet are the base of the body’s structure. All foot conditions risk destabilizing this structure and cause intense musculoskeletal pain. Instability and asymmetry can cause intense foot, ankle, knee, hip, and back pain. By performing a biomechanical exam, podiatrists can treat structural imbalances. This allows podiatrists to recommend plantar orthoses, which help restore the body’s symmetry and stability to improve postural mechanics and dynamics by relieving pain.

Orthoses Adapted to Patients’ Needs

Orthoses for Children

Foot problems can be present from birth. They must be treated as early as possible, as bones in development, which are softer than mature bones, respond better to treatments.

Orthoses for Adults

Nowadays, careers, activities, and responsibilities result in a mountain of daily engagements that cause us to overuse our feet.

Orthoses for Sportspeople

Feet are also used heavily in sports and physical activities. Each sport activity has its own distinctive biomechanics and appropriate footwear.

Orthoses for Patients with Diabetes

The number of people with diabetes is ever-increasing in Québec. Diabetes has well-known repercussions on many parts of the body, including feet.

Orthoses for Sick Patients

Patients with serious illnesses often experience chronic pain and impaired mobility.

A Unique Orthosis to Treat Each Foot Condition

Plantar orthoses are required to treat many different foot conditions.

Flat Feet

Flat feet are the result of an inexistent or collapsed plantar arch. They can also result from a congenital bone deformation. Pronation, hyperpronation, or inward-facing feet are other ways of referring to flat feet.

High-arched Feet

High-arched feet are characterized by an excessive hollowing of the plantar arch. Expressions such as “supination of the foot,” “hypersupination of the foot,” or “outward-facing foot” are also used to describe this foot condition.

Heel Spurs

A heel spur is a benign bony prominence located under the heel bone, the calcaneum. Contrary to popular belief, the spur itself does not cause any pain.

Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia, the fibrous membrane that connects the heel bone to the bottom part of the toes.

Bunions and Hammer Toes

Hallux valgus is an irregular deviation of the big toe toward the second toe. This misalignment causes the formation of a bony protrusion commonly known as “bunion”. Hammer toes are an irregular contracture or bending of the toes.

Other Conditions

Sprains, tendinitis, capsulitis, neuroma, apophyses, and neuralgia are all medical podiatry terms used to describe different foot problems or conditions.

Feet: the Base of the Body’s Structure

Here at the Clinique podiatrique de l’Estrie, we put all necessary efforts forward to properly identify foot conditions and prescribe orthoses that are specifically adapted to your needs.

Feet

Feet are made up of 28 bones and 30 joints that are connected by multiple ligaments, 20 muscles, which allow for movement, and a network of arteries, veins, and nerves. Skin and its appendages (hairs and nails) cover the entire feet to form a complex organ which serves as the base of the body’s support and ability to move.