Top 100 Biomechanical Guidelines #17: Understand when Simple Treatments may be Best (KISS)

Sole inserts (see www.yoursole.com) are a simple and effective treatment for many pronation related symptoms with arch collapse. The health care provider must develop a sense of when to recommend this type of device over a more durable custom made orthotic device. I believe you can help alot of people and even yourself if you combine simple treatments available for many injuries. 4 areas of treatment are important to experiment in when treating simply injuries or pain syndromes. These 4 areas are:

1. Anti-inflammatory
2. Mechanical
3. Activity Modification
4. Strength and Flexibility

If you have pain developing, or are advising another on proper treatment, and you don't believe the injury or pain requires a more complicated approach, continually work in all 4 of these areas. \

• What are you doing as anti-inflammatory (like icing or NSAIDS)?
• What mechanical changes are you making (like adding Sole inserts)?
• What changes in the activity are being employed (biking instead of running, etc)?
• What exercises are you doing for strength and flexibility of not only the injured area, but the surrounding areas?

I was recently criticized by a wonderful patient for following the KISS principle and not doing a more elaborate workup. I apologize to that patient, but that is why we have follow up visits, email, voice mail, fax. The doctor and patient must be a team or it does not work. If the patient feels the problem is simple, and the doctor/therapist feel the problem is complex, or vice verse, the ball will be passed to the wrong area. Everyone must be on the same page, and communicate if something is not working. In that way, both the patient and health care provider can feel comfortable to follow rules like KISS (keep it simple stupid) because their teammates have their back.