How Custom Orthotics Support Chronic Knee Pain

Resolving your chronic knee pain can be incredibly frustrating.

Like most issues with the lower body, nothing happens in isolation. Your knees, legs, ankles, and feet are all connected, and it’s remarkable how quickly issues in one area can affect the rest of your body. This interconnection can also make it extremely difficult to diagnose the underlying cause of your knee pain.

Some issues, like knee osteoarthritis, begin in the knee, while others begin elsewhere but trigger symptoms that impact the joints, tendons, and ligaments of the knee. Today, we’ll explore how doctors, chiropractors, and podiatrists use treatments like custom orthotics to help their patients with ongoing knee pain.

How to Get Knee Pain Relief

Many people who suffer from knee pain on an ongoing basis make the mistake of trying to live with their pain for too long before consulting a doctor. Typically, knee pain is the result of either overuse, or a sudden injury like a torn ligament, dislocation, or joint fracture.

The pain of overuse injuries gets gradually worse over time, which is why patients with bursitis, tendonitis, or knee osteoarthritis may not notice how bad their condition has gotten until real damage has been done.

On your first visit, your doctor will ask you to describe the pain, when it started, and whether it improves or worsens during certain activities. Using this information, as well as other diagnostic tools like x-rays, they can determine the cause of your knee pain.

Typical Treatments for Knee Pain

Once your doctor has determined the cause of your knee pain, they can formulate a treatment plan that offers relief from pain while treating the underlying cause or condition. Typically, treatment plans include rest, icing the affected area, over-the-counter NSAIDs, stretches, and even physical therapy. Another key element of many treatment plans is custom orthotics.

Orthotics are not a complete treatment for knee pain, but they can help support knee injuries and reduce pain when walking or running.

How Custom Orthotics Can Offer Knee Pain Relief

Custom orthotics are often suggested by doctors because they offer support and cushioning that helps to protect vulnerable knees. The force from running or even walking heavily can have a huge impact. If there’s no padding on the foot, it transfers that burden up to the knees.

If you have knee osteoarthritis, patellofemoral pain, or iliotibial band syndrome, you may benefit from investing in a pair of custom orthotics.

Orthotics can also help correct gait and pronation issues, which are caused by feet and ankles that are out of alignment. Long term, these gait and pronation imbalances can impact areas that are not designed to take this kind of stress, leading to overuse injuries that get worse with time.

Custom orthotics can offer support and stability exactly where it’s needed most, encouraging the foot back into alignment and cushioning areas that require shock absorption.

Can Orthotics Make Knee Pain Worse?

Over the years, some doctors have found anecdotal evidence that knee pain was exacerbated in some patients after they began using orthotics. Fortunately, there are ways to gradually ease into orthotics, which should help eliminate any negative response.

Instead of switching into orthotics by wearing them all the time, gradually introduce them to your daily routine over a week. Start by wearing them for an hour the first day, then increase your time with them from there.

It’s also important to remember that orthotics are just one part of a successful treatment plan. They can’t heal knee issues entirely on their own, so it’s important to continue resting, icing, and stretching your knee, as well as anything else your doctor has suggested.

The best way to use custom orthotics to help relieve knee pain is through a holistic treatment plan.

Treat Ongoing Knee Issues with Custom Orthotics

Eager to secure a pair of custom orthotics that can help you relieve ongoing knee pain?

At Orthotics Direct, we manufacture and ship custom orthotics that can be delivered to your door less than two weeks after you put your order in. Custom orthotics, unlike over-the-counter options, are made to accommodate your exact measurements and give you support and stability exactly where you need it most.