During a lifetime it is thought the average person, let alone an avid walker, walks enough steps to travel around the planet more than four times – approximately 115,000 miles! Footcare should be a top priority for walkers and Carnation Powerstep Orthotic Insoles are a walking kit essential to help prevent injury.
Powerstep from Carnation is a unique podiatric support system designed to correct and stabilise foot alignment. Powerstep aids foot posture and mechanics to help relieve heel and arch pain, as well as knee and lower back pain, and prevent injury. This is particularly important when walking long distances.
Our feet were made to walk on earth, and the flexibility required for this means the foot has 26 bones, 19 muscles and over 100 ligaments. So walking on hard, monotonous and inflexible surfaces, such as concrete, flattens the foot. This is unnatural and causes aches and pains.
Carnation Footcare Podiatrist, Dave Wain, says, “Hard surfaces can cause more problems for people who excessively pronate (excessive rolling inwards of the feet). Research indicates that up to 90% of the population excessively pronate, which causes arches to flatten, collapse and soft tissue to stretch abnormally, causing the joint surfaces to function at unnatural angles to each other.
“At first this causes fatigue and strain on the arch, heel, ankle, knee and back, often resulting in great pain. These problems are of even greater concern for long-distance walkers, but Powerstep can provide great relief.”
Excessive pronation will be diagnosed by a visit to a podiatrist but Dave Wain has some tell tale signs that you can check for yourself:
- Look at wear patterns on the bottom of your shoes, extreme wear on the balls of the feet especially towards the big toe area is often a sign.
- Place your shoes on a level surface and look at the heels at eye level, look for heels that tilt the shoes inwards.
- Stand barefoot with a mirror behind you, the Achilles tendons at the back of your heels should run straight in normal feet. Also look at the bony prominence each side of your ankle. They should look fairly equal, but if one side is more pronounced than the other this can be an indicator.
Dave Wain says, “By preventing excessive pronation with Powerstep, the likelihood of other related conditions such as bunions, corns and even ingrown toe nails occurring can be reduced. Ensuring our feet are in tip top condition will make walking more pleasurable.”
Powerstep helps feet withstand the most gruelling of walks with a 4-part design, including:
- A heel cradle and platform for stability
- A prescription standard arch support
- A unique double layer cushion casing
- An anti-bacterial top layer to help prevent odours
Powerstep is available from www.firstaidfast.co.uk in S, M and L, priced £22.99.
