What is Biomechanics?

The muscles involved in walking and running are not just in our legs - those around the hips and in the abdomen, back and arms all contribute. The Laws of Physics governing the movement of our joints and bones are the same as those governing all things. For example, energy can neither be created nor destroyed - energy liberated in walking is stored in muscles to be released later, making walking a very energy efficient process. (It's the stopping and starting that takes so much energy and hence makes shopping so tiring!)

But unlike machines we have biological processes affecting walking - things like the flexibility of our muscles and position of our bones and joints. Hence there are biological as well as mechanical considerations when analysing how our lower limbs function.

Compensations occur in the lower limb
For various reasons our lower limbs may not function in the most ideal way. As it is our feet that are in contact with the ground, it is often here that compensation for non-ideal walking patterns take place. This compensation can lead to pain anywhere in the lower limb - in the feet, shins, knees, thighs, hips,back or any combination of these. From a thorough biomechanical assessment and by playing back video recordings of the way people walk or run, it is possible to identify the cause of the compensation.

So what do insoles do?
Orthoses (insoles) can often reduce or eradicate the need for compensation by improving the relationship of the lower limb to the ground, via the feet. Sometimes, other treatments such as stretching exercises or manipulating joints, as well as orthoses, are needed. All these treatments are aimed at treating the cause of the problem, rather than just the symptoms.

What is pronation?
Pronation in very simple terms, is when your feet roll inwards. It is a part of normal gait (walking pattern) and is said to help our feet to adapt to uneven ground - before we started walking on hard, modern surfaces. But many people, for various reasons, either pronate for too long or at the wrong stage in the gait cycle. Because you cannot isolate one part of the body from the next, this compensation (see above) can not only cause foot pain, but also shin, knee, hip and back pain. It is a relatively straight forward problem to correct with orthoses (insoles).