FOOT HEALTH
Bipedal Gait is uniquely specific to our species Homo Sapiens. The exact origins of bipedal Gait are unknown and subject to debate but it is certain that our species has been exactly as we are today for at least 60,000 years.
Our feet and legs and practically the entire musculoskeletal or locomotor system is uniquely suited to walking and running on two legs.
Although human gait is naturally efficient patients frequently have pain, deformity and disability, which responds extremely well to foot orthotic therapy that improves the function of the foot and leg. In fact, such problems are often unable to be solved without the provision of accurately fitted and adjusted foot orthoses.
Scientific studies have added a great deal to our understanding of foot orthotic therapy in recent years but there is still uncertainty about how these beneficial effects are achieved.
The current definition of foot orthoses states that the devices should be shaped to match the contours of the sole of the individual foot and that they should optimize the function of the lower extremity and this emphasizes that the way in which the therapy is customized to the patient's anatomy and functional needs that is more important than the specific materials and features of the device that is used.
The function of the lower extremity is Bipedal Gait and might be the most important function of the musculoskeletal and a primary consideration in the diagnosis and treatment of many of the recurring and chronically painful conditions that people are suffering from.
In order for this potential to be realized there needs to be more awareness that orthotic therapy is the result of clinical assessment and appropriate treatment by a skilled foot specialist and not merely putting some insoles into the shoes.
