ALTERNATIVE FOOTCARE
Teaming with practitioners in our area can prove beneficial to both their practice and the pedorthists . Here are some examples of common alternative treatments . Seek out practitioners in these fields and you may find yourself with some new referral sources !
Alternative Foot Care Philosophies
Foot Manipulation — manual therapy techniques aimed at improving foot and leg function , realigning joints and increasing range of motion .
" Foot manipulation therapy is a proven alternative treatment solution , using ‘ hands-on ’ techniques of joint mobilization , combined with corrective exercises , to fix the cause of foot , heel , ankle , leg , knee , hip and back pain , without the need for surgery or long term medication ." Says Dr . Frank Dowling of Frank Dowling & Associates in Podiatry
It is said that , “ Chiropractic , manipulative physiotherapy , remedial therapy and massage therapy base their treatment protocols on manual therapeutic techniques . In podiatry , manual therapy is not widely practiced . It has been suggested that this may be due to a lack of clear ‘ guidelines ’ for manual therapy of the lower limb , making it difficult to determine the appropriate application to clinical ‘ conditions ’. The range of Foot Mobilization Techniques ( FMT ) taught at an undergraduate level is limited ”, explains Podiatrist , Dr . Ted Jedynak .
“ The specific indication for joint manipulation is to restore joint range of motion ( ROM ) and / or joint play ( restore a " springy feel " to the end-point or physiologic barrier at the end of ROM ). Both of these adjustments may be accompanied by an audible release usually a " crack "; however , therapeutic change often occurs without any sound . Joints that really " crack " suggest they probably don ' t require much , if any more , cracking . Those that have a dull crack or some other unusual sound are probably malfunctioning and fixated .
Joint surfaces are movable in six axes : 1 ) flexion , 2 ) extension , 3 ) left lateral bending , 4 ) right lateral bending , 5 ) left rotation , 6 ) right rotation . Additional movements are axial extension and compression . Most of the joints of the foot and
36 Pedorthic Footcare Association www . pedorthics . org