Foot pain is never something we should live with. There’s a number of conditions that explain foot pains, but the effects of foot pain have a much greater impact on the rest of the body. Improper movement in the feet can alter your walking, running, or whatever you like to do with your feet. When we have bad foot biomechanics, we tend to repeat the poor habits with every step we take. As humans, we tend to use our feet for a lot of activities of daily living. Walking improperly is not too different from struggling to drop bad health habits! A bad walking habit may even cause lower back pain, a condition we commonly see! In this issue we cover some of the science behind maintaining good foot biomechanics and how we can start today to improve your feet in the long term.
Our feet have 26 bones in each of them…that is almost as much as how many vertebrae we have! Surrounding these bones is an articulate network of soft tissues to protect the bones and to help each bone work together to provide the support we need to bear the most weight when we use our feet. Feet have 3 arches that support us to optimize our activity load. Knowing how many structures there are in the feet, and how each structure plays a part in how we move, its important to protect each one to make sure we don’t develop pain.
Let’s start with the arches. When we go to the shoe store, we sometimes hear that certain shoes are “great for arch support.” The question that we all need to ask is “do they support all arches?” Maybe one of our arches is diminished and we need support for that one arch. Finding the right shoe for support is one thing, but maintaining the shoe integrity is another. We shouldn’t be “seeing how long we can make our shoes last” but rather asking “how long does this shoe last before it starts doing damage to our feet?” More often than not, we find a lot of patients stretch the life of the shoe too long. If we are not walking properly due to a lack of support that could be causing pain, different musculoskeletal structures above the feet (including lower back and even neck region structures) can be affected.
One condition that correlates with the lack of arch support is plantar fasciitis. Many people suffer from the condition each year, but most do not know that it is preventable and treatable without surgery. In fact, proactive stretching, proper footwear, and correct movement over time can address the complaint. Chiropractic care can also be a great way to address the issue. Once diagnosed, the treatment can be very beneficial to reducing the symptoms, as well as the process for correcting what caused the complaint in the first place. Improving the way our feet work together can help prevent potential back pain in the future!
It never hurts to have your feet looked at! Even if you don’t have foot pain, having knowledge of where your feet stand (literally) can be a good tool for you in the future. Long term prevention of foot pain is important since we use our feet daily. Starting with a functional walking assessment, to going through a thorough foot exam, we can help assess your feet and determine if there are any changes you may need to improve the functionality of your feet. If you are suffering from foot pain, it is not too late to get started with getting you back on the right path. Ask one of us today how we can help you get your feet back on track!
