Do you want to improve your sports performance? Sure, training hard and playing as well as you can is important, but so is keeping your body operating at its peak. After all, not every player is equipped with the same physical attributes or natural athleticism. That’s where custom orthotics come in.
Orthotics are prescription inserts that are used to provide support for people who have flat feet and need extra stability. If you run, walk, dance, or play any other sport regularly – especially ones that require quick footwork and an aggressive toe-off phase – then it’s worth investing in a pair of orthotics. After all, they can help prevent injuries, correct muscle imbalances, and increase your overall performance…
Stability and Health Benefits of Orthotics
If you have flat feet and are looking to get custom-made orthotics, you may be wondering how they’ll help you stay healthy. That’s a valid concern, as flat feet are associated with many health conditions, including arthritis, chronic foot pain, and even heart disease. That’s why getting orthotics can help make you less susceptible to these issues.
At the very least, it can make you feel less affected by them. When you’re feeling less affected, you’re more likely to take preventative measures to stay healthy. That’s not the only reason you should consider getting orthotics.
Many people who wear orthotics report an increase in their physical confidence. They also notice that their feet feel more stable and supported when they’re wearing orthotics than when they’re not. That’s why getting orthotics can help make you less susceptible to these issues.
Correction of Foot Imbalance
Having flat feet doesn’t just leave you susceptible to ankle and knee issues, it can also cause you to have an uneven foot strike. If you have a wider forefoot, or if you tend to land on your toes, then you may miss the ball or jump improperly.
Wearing orthotics can help you correct this imbalance, which can help you improve your athletic performance. That’s not the only reason you should get orthotics, though.
You should also get orthotics if you play sports that involve quick footwork, such as soccer, basketball, or volleyball. And while it’s not common, there are also some sports, like gymnastics and dance, where you should consider getting orthotics even if you don’t have flat feet.
Mid-foot Support
As you may have noticed, a lot of sports require you to have a strong and stable forefoot strike, which is often referred to as a mid-foot strike. But what happens if you don’t have mid-foot support?
In this case, you may have a forefoot strike that’s too flat, or you may have a mid-foot that’s too pronated. Either way, you’ll miss the ball and struggle to generate any power from your stride. Wearing orthotics can help you correct any imbalances in your footstrike, and they can also provide support for the metatarsal head, which is located on the midfoot.
Speed and Jumping Support
One of the most common reasons people wear orthotics is to correct muscle imbalances in their feet. If you have flat feet, your muscles in your feet may be too strong, which can cause you to land with too much force.
If you have too much flexibility in your foot joints, you may land on your toes while your forefoot remains planted. In either case, you’ll miss the ball and struggle to generate any power from your stride. Wearing orthotics can help you correct either of these issues.
It can help you strengthen the muscles in your foot so that you land more softly. It can also help you strengthen your foot joints so that you get more transfer from the ball to the rest of your body.
Corrective Coaching Tools
Some sports, like basketball and volleyball, have official rules that require players to wear certain types of footwear. This may mean you have to wear shoes that have a certain level of support, or it may mean you have to wear orthotics. If this is the case for you, getting orthotics can help you comply with the rules.
It can also help you correct any biomechanical imbalances you may have that were responsible for your poor performance. You may be able to use your orthotics to correct a pronation, which can make you more comfortable when you’re chasing the ball or when you’re sprinting to catch an incoming pass.
Improving Your Coaches’ Feedback
Some athletes wear orthotics not just because they want to improve their health and performance, but because they also want to get better feedback from their coaches. After all, what good are orthotics if you can’t use them to make your coaches’ feedback more accurate?
What good are better adjustments if you can’t use them to make your orthotics more supportive? To get either of these benefits, you’ll need to invest in a pair of orthotics that provide a high level of stability. This means they’ll be heavy on forefoot support, but light on midfoot and heel support. This will help you keep your foot stable, even when it’s at an extreme angle, which can help you get better feedback from your coaches.
How Much Should You Pay For orthotics?
How much you pay for orthotics depends on a few factors, including your level of experience with custom orthotics, your level of foot pain, and your level of foot deformity.
The type of orthotics you choose – heavy on stability, light on forefoot support, or somewhere in between will have a big impact on your level of foot pain and your level of foot deformity.
The level of correction your foot needs will also have an impact on how much you should spend on orthotics.
Conclusion
When it comes to improving your performance, there’s no substitute for footwear that’s properly fitted. However, when you don’t have the right footwear available, or when you need a prescription gait correction, you should consider wearing orthotics.
These inserts can help you correct any muscle imbalances in your foot and strengthen your musculature while they’re at it. They can also help you stay healthy, confident, and stable when you’re playing sports.
