How Foot Mobilisation Therapy Can Fix Foot Pain Without Orthotics
Updated: Jul 2, 2022
If you’ve had foot pain for a while you’ve probably sought help from your doctor or local podiatrist, and more than likely you’ve been told you need orthotics to fix your foot pain. This is because the way your feet walk and move, can put extra pressure and load on the ligaments, muscles and joints of the feet and legs leading to pain. What you probably weren’t told is that in many cases there is an effective alternative that can help foot pain problems, without the need for expensive orthotics and the shoes to fit them in.
Now don’t get me wrong, as a podiatrist I understand the value and use of orthotics in appropriate cases. But for so many of the clients I see, they are looking for a solution to their foot pain and they don’t want to give up their beautiful shoes for ‘granny shoes’ or be depending on orthotic insoles for pain relief.
If this sounds like you then keep reading…
You see orthotics don’t fix foot pain, they just change the forces and loads going through your feet allowing your body to then heal itself from within. What this means is that you have to wear them to get the benefit, and if you take the orthotics away your pain is likely to come back.
“When your feet are correctly aligned and functioning as nature intended your body’s internal healing system can work its magic and heal your pain or injury”
There is a universal saying that ‘everything works best when it’s in the right place’. When your feet are correctly aligned and functioning as nature intended, your body’s internal healing system can work its magic and heal your pain or injury. Most painful feet that we see suffer from misalignment, and as a result of these structural misalignments in the feet, the ligaments, muscles and joints of the feet and legs are over working. Over time this leads to painful conditions like heel pain, arch pain, Achilles Tendonitis, Plantar Fasciitis, neuromas, bunions and so much more.
It’s because of this misalignment that so many health professionals will recommend orthotic inserts as the solution, and as I said this can definitely help. But what you are often not told is that:
1- Orthotics don’t fit and work in all shoes, and in many cases, you will have to change your footwear to get the best benefit
2- You have to wear them at least 80% of the time to get the value of them and if you don’t, they are unlikely to work
3- They have to be replaced every few years as they wear out and can lose their effectiveness
4- You might need more than one pair to fit different shoe styles, dramatically increasing the cost of treatment
5- Not everyone can tolerate wearing orthotics, especially if you have stiff feet, and the last thing you want is an expensive orthotic device sitting in your cupboard

So, if you want to be able to go barefoot at the beach, wear thongs and sandals in summer and fashion shoes for work, then orthotics probably aren’t the solution you are looking for.
But what’s the alternative to an orthotic?
Well, in many cases there is an alternative treatment option available that can help foot pain problems without the need for orthotics and it’s called Foot Mobilisation Therapy (FMT). Foot Mobilisation Therapy is a gentle hands-on manual therapy treatment that works naturally with your body to improve your foot and ankle function by targeting misaligned, stiff or dysfunctional joints. These techniques focus on improving and restoring the normal range of pain-free joint motion, so that when your feet are correctly aligned and functioning as nature intended, the incredible power of your body’s internal healing system can work its magic. This allows you to naturally heal your foot pain problems in most cases without the need for orthotic insoles, special shoes, drugs or surgery.
