If you’re in an athlete, you know that you can often run into issues with your feet. This is particularly true when you aren’t wearing the right shoe or your feet are not properly supported in your shoes. Without adequate support, there is too much stress on the foot, which only leads to injury. This can be alleviated with a sports orthotic. Read on to learn more.
Benefits of Using Sports Orthotics as an Athlete
Overall, sports orthotics help to reduce the probability of an injury occurring to the feet as well as the back and legs. It is these areas of the body that are primarily impacted by the direct way that you walk and/or run. By wearing an orthotic, you are offered better support, which will allow you to maintain a better overall posture and keep proper balance. This helps to avoid unnecessary injury under most circumstances.
Sports Competitors and Their Particular Orthotic Uses
There are specific reasons why certain types of athletes will use sports orthotics. They get certain benefits from using them for their specific sport.
- Joggers and Runners – These athletes tend to wear orthotics to help absorb the shock from when their heel hits the ground as they run, to help provide better control as they move and to help set the forefoot up for improved push-off.
- Sprinters – These competitors wear sports orthotics in order to get better control of the precise movement of their forefoot.
- Tennis Players – These types of athletes use orthotics in order to get support laterally, absorb shock in the forefoot, allow motion of the subtalar joint and reduce shear factors.
- Basketball Players – These competitors usually wear orthotics in order to control the forefoot while they are running down the court and while jumping to shoot the ball.
- Skiers – These athletes use orthotics for stabilization and to help inhibit motion inside the ski boot.
- Cyclists – These athletes don’t wear orthotics as often as other athletes, but they do help them in limited cases. This is because they can sometimes be worn to help control rotation of the lower part of the leg.
For more information on sports orthotics and how they can help you improve your performance or to simply purchase a pair for your shoes, reach out to us at River Valley Comfort Shoes today!