Can Orthotics Improve My Athletic Performance?

If you’re an athlete, you’re probably always looking for new ways to improve your performance, such as with new, lightweight shoes, a new diet, and so on. But one neglected aspect of your ability to perform at your best is your feet. A lot of people have feet and legs out of alignment, which can impact both their speed and agility.

Our team at Ledesma Foot and Ankle uses custom orthotics to enable their patient-athletes to do their best. We asked them to explain in detail just how custom orthotics improve athletic performance and who’s a good candidate for them.

How orthotics improve your athletic performance

There are many ways orthotics can help.

Enable you to train harder 

Part of high performance is training, but sometimes you can’t train as much as others because your body simply doesn’t recover fast enough to allow you to do so. 

Many people with misalignments experience aches and pains more quickly and are more prone to injuries that impact their ability to train at a high level. With custom orthotics, you’ll be put on equal ground with fellow athletes who train and don’t have the disadvantage of misalignments. 

Better shock absorption 

If you’re jumping and running a lot, it takes a toll on your knees. With custom orthotics, some of the shock is absorbed by the inserts, reducing the risk of injury. 

Faster and more precise movements

By enabling better alignment in the feet and legs, orthotics improve the act of propulsion, allowing you to move faster and in a more precise manner. 

Reduce fatigue

Custom orthotics can reduce fatigue by evenly distributing the weight and pressure on the lower limbs. You won’t have some muscles and tendons being overused while others are underused. All of your body parts will work in harmony, supporting each other. 

Learn more about custom orthotics for improved athletic performance 

You can find orthotics in supermarkets, too, but since these orthotics aren’t customized, they don’t fix any misalignments. At best they provide some comfort while wearing them. At worst, they could make misalignments worse.

Custom orthotics are made only for you by analyzing your unique gait and feet structure, as well as looking at any potential conditions that may impact your performance. They’re made based on X-rays of your feet to ensure they fit your needs and work to align your feet and legs.

If you’re interested in learning more about ways to improve your athletic performance, contact us to schedule an appointment. Our experts will take a look at your posture, gait, legs, and feet and let you know if you could benefit from orthotics to improve your performance.