Insoles for Seniors

As aging Brazilian benefits from better health and longer life expectancy, they are maintaining active lifestyles. However, even with quality longevity, people over the age of 60 need some special care. With the aging process, our joints weaken and lose lubrication, often leading to pain and injury.  In fact, The Brazilian Feet Survey identified that for men and women ages 65 years and older, 34.2% of men and 55.1% of women have foot pain always or frequently (SOURCE: Brazilian Feet Survey).

Feet Without Pain custom-made insoles and shoes can alleviate pain caused by the cumulative effects of a lifetime of footwear-related conditions of the feet and degenerative conditions by restoring comfort and balance. Schedule your free consultation and evaluation today! 

MAIN INJURIES IN THE ELDERLY

The major orthopedic injuries or pathologies that affect the elderly are generally well known and can be controlled or prevented, including:

• Osteoporosis;
• Arthrosis;
• Arthritis;
• Muscle pains;
• Feet, ankle, and knee pain.

Feet Without Pain custom-made insoles and shoes redistribute pressure load, increase comfort, and relieve pain resulting from these conditions.

OSTEOPOROSIS

Osteoporosis is widespread in the elderly and affects many more women than men. What happens in this condition is bone rarefaction: calcium from the bones starts being absorbed by the body, weakening them.

Evolution of osteoporosis and bone rarefaction

Bone mass loss is expected in the human aging process. However, it can be avoided or delayed by following these tips:

• Have a nutritionist-controlled calcium diet to ensure an adequate amount of this substance in our blood, favoring bone formation.

• Check your hormone levels with your doctor since the excess or deficit of some of them can damage the bones and speed up their deterioration.

• Maintaining good vitamin D levels helps in bone formation.

• Practice physical exercise regularly, giving preference to compressive loading exercises. This exercise type (such as walking, running, and weight lifting) stimulates the stabilization or even bone mass increase.

One of the biggest problems of osteoporosis is the increased risk of bone fracture, especially for the elderly, due to the high rate of falls and domestic accidents. Therefore it is essential to modify your home to reduce these risks. Feet Without Pain custom-made insoles and shoes can help by providing increased comfort, balance, and stability.

FALL RISKS

Seniors are more susceptible to falls due to muscle wasting, loss of balance (due to reduced sensation), and decreased agility. Falls can cause serious injuries like fractures, considerably debilitating the elderly and increasing morbidity and mortality.

Consequently, it is crucial to minimize the fall risk to improve life expectancy. For this, home care and continuous physical activity are essential, giving preference to balance training and displacement, agility, and strength training.

Another equally important measure is the elderly footstep and walk evaluation so that any problem or modification due to balance loss is diagnosed. Feet Without Pain custom-made insoles and shoes can correct balance issues and any pain interfering with physical activity. The process begins with a free personalized evaluation of your feet, existing conditions, and footsteps with one of our specialists at any of our 65 locations in Brazil. 

ARTHRITIS

Arthritis is a degenerative condition of the bones and joints over time. The term includes a vast group of pathologies that produce joint inflammation and whose causes are multifactorial, such as:

• Genetic predisposition;
• Obesity (due to overload on the musculoskeletal system);
• Repetitive trauma (sometimes caused by knee misalignment);
• Excessive use (excessive physical exertion during life);
• Autoimmune disorders (such as rheumatoid arthritis);
• High uric acid levels in the body (as in gouty arthritis).

Arthritis treatment varies with each case and, if possible, should start in the early stages of the disease to avoid the onset of deformities.

Feet Without Pain’s custom-made insoles and shoes are exceptional for alleviating pain by redistributing pressure, increasing comfort and stability, foot contact with the insole, and adding corrections for specific conditions.

ARTHROSIS

Arthrosis can begin at any age but usually occurs in advanced ages and causes joint deterioration. Osteoarthritis can affect any joint in the body, but it is much more common in the knees, hips, and spine, as these are the regions that bear most of the body’s weight in everyday life. It is essential to be aware of this pathology since it can rapidly evolve, causing severe pain and loss of mobility.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and keeping one’s weight under control to prevent joint overload is important. Physical activity can increase the amount of fluid inside the joints and keep the muscles healthy and strong to protect the joint. In addition, correcting the joint misalignments is vital so that the load on the feet and joints is evenly distributed.

To find out if the elderly’s joints are aligned, it is necessary to carry out a specific evaluation to diagnose and treat the problem. One of the best ways to correct misalignment and prevent the development of osteoarthritis is to use custom-made orthotics. Feet Without Pain custom-made orthotics and shoes help reposition the bone structure, compensating for muscle and tendon weakness.

MUSCLE PAIN

Muscle pain can appear at any time, especially in the legs, feet, and back. It occurs in any age group; however, the elderly tend to have age-related muscle weakness, and these weak muscles are more susceptible to pain.

Again, weight loss and regular physical activity is the best way to avoid and treat these pains. Reducing your body weight makes the muscles more active and robust, supporting the body throughout the day.

FEET, ANKLES, AND KNEES PAIN

Although the feet and ankles are not as affected by osteoarthritis, they are also victims of the degenerative process that older people go through. In old age, some parts of our bodies lose structure and collapse. As a result, they no longer appropriately support our weight and body alignment. Consequently, all the mentioned structures are affected (especially the ankle and knee).

It happens because the foot muscles and ligaments deteriorate and no longer keep the foot bones structured as they should, tending to become flatter. And so the foot begins to hurt due to the structure and protection loss. The ankle and knee also suffer because they are misaligned and receive a more significant impact within the joint.

Fallen arches cause ankle and knee misalignment.

In these cases, the best way to control and solve the problem is by using custom-made orthopedic insoles. Feet without Pain insoles offer support to the foot, simply favoring the whole body alignment and eliminating overload and, thus, foot, ankle, and knee joint pain.