Knee Injury Improvements with Custom Foot Orthotics

Injuries are something that athletes are used to. Unfortunately, high school athletes often put their bodies through more than it can handle. With their vigorous schedules, demanding conditioning/training, and growing bodies the body tends to get worn out. However, the problem is not just with the extreme lengths these athletes push their bodies to. Instead, we are finding that the shoe support they have is what is making all the difference. Regular shoes are not cut out to be pushed to the daily limits these athletes require. We are seeing that in these high school athletes, more and more injuries are occurring due to an increased Q angle of the knee. In simpler terms, this means that their knee joint has become crooked. The knee joint is often overlooked, but it plays a vital role in the position of the hips, low back, and everything else in the upper body. More often than not, this increased Q angle is being caused by an overpronation of the foot. What is needed to correct this issue is arch support to take that athlete from injury and incorrect form to optimal use. By using a 3-D scan, footlevelers are able to create custom printed orthotics for each foot, allowing the pressure to hit the foot in the exact angle and direction needed to correct the problem. Custom orthotics create maximum benefits for the athlete when they wear them during their training, sports events, and everyday use. Dr. Alexander Jimenez has the technology to scan athletes’ feet and order these orthotics to help take the athlete to the next level.  It is never too early or too late to get custom orthotics. No matter the age, sport, or condition of the athlete, foot orthotics can benefit every individual. -Kenna Vaughn, Senior Health Coach

[00:00:10] I am Dr. Tim Bags. Today, we’re gonna talk about the Q angle of the knee and the injuries that occur with an increased Q. We’ve been seeing high school athletes for 35 years now and probably the most common and frequent finding that we have coming to our office is an increased Q angle and for some reason it seems to be predominantly adolescent girls. But A Q angle is a knee joint that is now a crooked knee joint and their crooked knee joint is going to over time break down prematurely. But not only that, the crooked knee joint is in essence the foundation for the pelvis and everything above, but adding to the imbalances and instabilities. You have to go below the crooked knee joint to determine why is that knee joint crooked? So you’re talking about injuries such as patellar tendinitis, bursitis, meniscus injuries, strain sprains. All of the knee issues are very often caused by this increased Q Angle. In 90 percent of the cases, the increased Q Angle is due to an increased pronation of the foot on that side. However, there are cases with an increased Q angle and a supinated foot or a high arch. It doesn’t matter. The correct start in treatment is to scan the feet and get custom orthotics in the shoes so that you’re providing a balancing of those feet and protection that when they go into motion they’re not going to overpronate, which will exaggerate and increase that Q angle. So the first step is to scan the feet, insert orthotics into the shoes when they’re in their sport and when they’re not in their sport, and then to provide high-quality acute injury care, which again we use cold laser therapy, we use Kinesio taping, we using icing, we use proteolytic enzymes, we use chiropractic adjustments and we use good management.

[00:02:16] If you can do that, you’re going to get these kids better and keep them better for a long time.