Orthotics & Feet. What does this have to do with chiropractic?

Ask yourself these questions: When you last visited a chiropractor, physical therapist or MD for back, spine or extremity pain, did they ever perform a biomechanical and computerized examination on your feet?  If so, were the findings clearly explained and were recommendations made to offer you a solution?

If you ever wonder why you have to keep going back to the chiropractor forever, here’s a thought: Failing to identify and treat potential foot problems can result in excessive treatment with limited results, more expense, and patient frustration. Foot problems are also a common factor for re-injury of back, spine and extremity conditions.

Nearly every patient seen by Dr. Coleman has his or her feet evaluated by a hands on exam and using computerized digital foot scan technology (image above). Simply put, Dr. Coleman identifies and corrects imbalances of the feet that cause low back pain, knee pain and hip pain to be slow or non responsive. The benefits: more comprehensive care with longer lasting results. If you have knee, hip, or pelvic problems ruling in or out foot problems should be part of any quality diagnostic protocol.

Over the years many have sought out our opinion for health concerns. About 15-20% of our patients have been fit with orthotics prior to their being introduced to our practice. The vast majority of these patients have had rigid orthotics prescribed by their DPM or MD that are usually made of materials such as acrylic or carbon fiber.

Interestingly, in the past Dr. Coleman used some of the same orthopedic labs podiatrists and orthopedic doctors use to fabricate rigid orthotics, but not any more. We have found that an orthotic that is semiflexible compared to stiff and rigid provides more support, and the inherent design is superior.

If you think about how your foot moves through the gait cycle, the foot MUST flex and extend when wearing common footwear. (An alpine ski boot for example,  would be an exception). Your shoes are designed to bend and flex, so should your orthotics! Semiflexible orthotics allow your foot to F L E X to function optimally.

Lastly and very importantly, if orthotics are presribed, all 3 arches in the foot must be supported by a customized made orthotic. Rigid orthotics generally only support the medial arch and about 30% of the time in our experience the transverse arch is supported. We have never seen a rigid orthotic designed to support the lateral arch. For these reasons, if orthotics are in your future, make sure you get good advice.

 

The Wellness Center For Sport & Spine
Dr. Gil Z. Coleman - Chiropractor
2550 Stover Street
Building F
Fort Collins, CO 80525
970-493-3100
Corner of Stover & Drake

Heel Spurs and  Foot Pain: Surgery or Chiropractic... What would you choose?

I met Dr. Coleman at a Health Fair while at work about 2 ½ years ago. At the time, I was having a very severe stiff neck once every 2-3 months.What I mean by severely stiff neck is that when I would wake up, I would have to take my hands to hold my neck while rolled out of bed onto my knees to stand up. Well, I will say that I was a little skeptical about Chiropractic, but when you have to take such extreme measures to just get out of bed, it is time to try something different. Dr. Gil took x-rays of my neck and showed the extent of my misalignment of my vertebrae.He also said that the subluxations could be causing other problems, which I probably thought were normal.  The reasoning behind adjusting my spine made sense the way it was explained to me. After about 4 treatments, my neck was feeling much better and I have only had one occurrence of a stiff neck in the last 2 years. The stiff neck that I did have was of much less intensity than previous experiences.

During the course of normal treatments, I also encountered another problem…bone spurs in my left foot that was causing pretty intense pain. I had gone to my Primary Care Physician who referred me to a Podiatrist. Since my health care is through CIGNA, the Podiatrist sent me to a prosthetic fabricator to make orthotics for my shoes. The main idea behind the inserts was to take the pressure off the bone spur in effect relieving the pain.Well, when I showed Dr. Coleman the inserts, he told me they were junk. Even when I went back to the Podiatrist, he agreed they were junk and I shouldn’t wear them.Dr. Coleman recommended he personally fit me for new orthotics, which he did. When I told the Podiatrist he rolled his eyes. When I got the new orthotics, my feet responded favorably within a week, much to the amazement of the Podiatrist!  

Considering that I would probably have had to have surgery to relieve the pain in my feet, I think that Dr. Coleman took the appropriate and timely response to my symptoms without surgery! This relief from pain has allowed me to get to the lake and be a ‘wildman’ as Dr. Coleman puts it on my Sea-Doo. 
Scott Smith