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Knee pain can be frustrating, debilitating, and confusing. Many people suffer from chronic knee pain and are not aware of the connection between knee pain and the way you walk.
This article sheds more light on knee pain and how abnormal foot mechanics or asymmetry in our gait can affect knee function, causing pain and discomfort.
In many cases, foot orthotics have been shown to drastically improve your unhealthy gait patterns and be a game changer for many knee pain sufferers.
The Link Between the Foot and Knee
Your feet and knees are linked literally–it should come as no surprise that one affects the other when it comes to pain.
The amount of impact generated when you walk, the way your feet are aligned, and the way that force is distributed as you take each step has a significant impact not only on your feet and heels themselves, but on your knees!
The knee joint is a hinge joint, which means it is only designed to flex and extend (bend & straighten) the lower leg, and not to rotate it.
Unlike, for instance, your elbow joint which allows your underarm to move up and down, as well a twist (rotate). Overpronation of the feet means that with every step your foot rolls inwards too much.
As the foot rolls inward, the bones in the lower leg are forced to rotate internally and this results in a twisting motion at the knee joint.
This irregular motion of the knee will inevitably lead to excessive wear and tear in the knee joint causing long-term damage and chronic knee pain.
Over-pronation not only causes bad knee function. An estimated 70% of the population suffers from some degree of over-pronation and this becomes evident in other areas of the body, especially at an older age.
People with overpronation can display symptoms such as frequent ankle sprains, pain in the arches, plantar fasciitis, leg pains, shin splints, hip pain, even lower back pain.
Most Common Causes Of Knee Pain
There are a number of different causes for knee pain. The most common causes of knee pain are related to aging, injury or repetitive stress on the knee.
Osteoarthritis is the wear and tear type of joint degeneration that occurs as we age.
Over-use or repetitive stress is also another common cause of knee pain that occurs with activities such as running, jumping, or cycling.
These activities can also create stress on the Iliotibial band (IT Band) on the outside of the hip and knee and can lead to improper tracking of the knee which also leads to knee pain.
Apart from age and over-use, the third most common cause of knee pain is faulty gait (i.e. the way we walk). Overpronation is a major contributing factor to knee pain.
What Does The Research Say?
Research suggest that patients with patellofemoral (knee) pain may benefit from foot orthotics if they also demonstrate signs of excessive foot pronation and/or a lower-extremity alignment profile that includes excessive lower-extremity internal rotation during weight bearing.
Other Benefits of Using Orthotics for Knee Pain
Shock Absorption:
Orthotics can provide cushioning and shock absorption to your feet and heels, which reduces the amount of impact your knees will endure when you walk or run.
Weight Distribution:
Knee pain can be caused or made much worse by the amount of force generated to your joints each time you take a step.
Orthotics can help distribute that force more evenly throughout the foot and ankle, which in turn distributes force more evenly to your knees.
Alignment:
Orthotics can help improve alignment of the foot and ankle, which in turn improves alignment of the knees and creates a healthier gait.
Supination or overpronation can mean that undue stress and impact are absorbed by the feet–which is in turn absorbed by your knees! Orthotics help correct this problem.
3 Tips For Using Orthotics for Knee Pain
1. Break Them in:
Wearing orthotics can feel slightly strange at first. It’s important to give yourself time to break your orthotics in.
Start with wearing them for only an hour at a time, then increase the amount of time over the space of about a week until you’re wearing them full time.
2. Include Other Healing Practices:
Orthotics should be used in conjunction with other treatments for your knees. Using orthotics alone while continuing practices that make your knee pain worse won’t help .Be sure to include plenty of rest.
Decreasing or even stopping the activities that stress the knee is critically important for healing. Other self care methods such as stretching, strengthening exercises, and self massage techniques such as Myofascial Release can be helpful.
I have recommended for many of my patients to use this Fascial Release Tool to remove fascial adhesion and scar tissue around the knee to improve flexibility, increase circulation, and decrease pain.
You may aIso try a natural, topical cream or salve to reduce pain and inflammation.
3. Get a High Quality Orthotic That Fits You Properly:
Orthotics are often incredibly expensive and often too rigid or unsupportive.
I recommend starting with a supportive, yet cost effective orthotic that provides good arch support, shock absorption, and will aid in proper alignment of your feet, ankles and knees.
This brand checks all the boxes and my patients that are runners and athlete's concur.
Summary
Foot orthotics may be a valuable adjunct to other intervention strategies for patients who present with the previously stated structural alignment profile.
As always, make sure you introduce orthotics into your life gradually instead of all at once (over the period of about a week) and ensure they fit correctly. Here's to healing from the ground up!
We hope that you find our posts helpful and please feel free to forward this information to anyone who might have questions about natural living.
We strive to educate our patients on all aspects of health. If you have a question or need more information on a particular topic, please post in the comments or contact Dr. Angela directly. We look forward to hearing from you!
Best of Health,
Dr. Angela
Founder of Nashville Organix
Dr. Angela's Best Recommendations:
PLEASE NOTE: I ONLY recommend products, supplements & essential oils in my posts that I have personally crafted and I know exactly what is in them, or I have recommended to my patients and know the efficacy and therapeutic value.
Fascial Release Tool - Massage Scraping Tool
CBD Relief Stick - Topical Pain Management
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Hi, I'm Dr. Angela Walk...
I have been involved in the health and wellness industry for over 20 years as a health & wellness physician. I have written extensively for health publications and I am keenly aware of trends and new developments in natural health.
I embrace an active lifestyle combining diet, exercise and healthy choices. My goal is to inform my readers of natural options available to them in hopes of improving their health and quality of life.
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