Knee Pain: treatment with foot orthotics

Knee pain (or Patello-femoral Syndrome) is very common. Chronic knee pain is characterised by pain between the knee cap (patella) and the underlying thigh bone (femur). Patello-femoral pain is worse when getting up out of a chair or the car or walking up stairs. Often, a grinding or crunching sensation is experienced.

What causes knee pain?

Knee pain can be caused by sports injury or trauma (e.g. an accident). However, in most cases knee pain is simply caused by wear and tear as a result of the normal degenerative process of ageing and years of strenuous activities such as rugby, soccer, running, cycling or labour (e.g. on building sites) which all affect the knees and exacerbate the erosion of knee cartilage.

Foot biomechanics

Knee Pain - leg rotation Apart from sports, work, age, injury or trauma an incorrect gait (or foot biomechanics) can play an important role in Patello-femoral syndrome. Physiotherapists and podiatrists agree that the way we walk and the position of our feet and ankles have a profound effect on our legs, knees, hips and lower back. Over half of the Australian population have a condition called ‘excess pronation’. This means the rolling in of the foot and ankles and collapsing of the arches during walking and running.

Over-pronation not only affects the feet, it also causes the lower leg to rotate inwards. The knee forms the link between the upper and lower leg and is a hinge joint, designed to flex and extend the lower leg. Unlike our ankles and hip joints, the knees are not designed to rotate. However, when the foot rolls inwards due to over-pronation, the lower leg is forced to rotate, placing abnormal stress on the knee joint and resulting in poor knee function. This will inevitably lead to excessive wear and tear to the knee cartilage, causing long-term damage and chronic pain.

Footlogics orthotics can help reduce knee pain!

Foot orthotics are an inexpensive and effective way of correction over-pronation and can be very helpful in the treatment of knee pain, even more so when used in conjunction with other forms of knee pain therapy, in particular exercises and physiotherapy.

By re-aligning the feet and ankles, Footlogics orthotics reduce internal leg rotation, thereby improving patella-tracking and restoring normal knee function. Most professional athletes use orthotics to ensure proper alignment of their feet, legs and knees. Footlogics orthotics help restore proper knee function by correcting over-pronation, eliminating one of the causes of patello-femoral pain.

Try Footlogics orthotics for 90-days and most likely you exerperience relief from your knee pain. If not, you can return the orthotics and your money will be refunded in full. Footlogics orthotics have helped many thousands of people in Australia, Europe and Canada with their foot complaints, knee pain and lower back pain. Footlogics orthotics are endorsed by the NHS and used in public hospitals in the UK.

NOTE: If pain persist we recommend you consult a health professional for appropriate diagnosis and treatment.