Your Feet Matter.
If you drive a vehicle then you know that you need to take care of the tires & wheels of your car or truck. This means maintaining proper air pressure, alignment, and tire rotations.
If you don’t keep the right amount of air in the tires they’ll start to wear asymmetrically. The same goes for missing your annual rotation. And if the wheel alignment is off your tires will wear but even worse, extra stress and strain will be put onto the tie rods, drive train, and frame of your vehicle. If you continue to neglect tire pressure and rotations then the abnormal wear will eventually contribute to even more stress and strain on the mechanics and frame of your vehicle. See how things can begin to compound?
Your feet are like the tires on your car. Unless you’re sitting down with your feet up or lying in bed, every movement you make begins with the feet. When your feet are planted on the ground and you’re moving through life, forces are transmitted from the ground, through the foot, and up the kinetic chain that is the connection of different body segments by articulating joints and powerful muscles. The kinetic chain allows for proper force generation up through the body to move and propel us through life.
A foot that’s flat, has a weak or absent arch, over pronates or rolls inwards, and toes that don’t work and articulate resemble our tires that weren’t properly maintained. Maybe your feet have been bound up in tight shoes for your entire life. The shoes smashed your toes together creating a narrow base or even bunions. The shoes created an artificial arch allowing your plantar fascia and deep intrinsic foot muscle to weaken and atrophy. Your heal has been elevated which shortens your achilles tendon and calf muscles attributing to heal pain and often plants fasciitis.
A foot that’s pronated or rolls inward can cause improper knee mechanics often leading to pain on the medial or inside part of the knee. The boney part of your hip can become painful and tender. You might experience low back pain or even pain on the inside part of your shoulder blades all because of something that began at the feet. See how things begin to compound?
Your feet are your foundation. The forces that propel us forward in life begin at the feet and transmit up the kinetic chain. If your feet are the weak point those forces are mechanically and functionally altered from the start.
Sapien Chiropractic takes a back to basics approach to pain relief and human health. If you have pain in any places mentioned above maybe start with getting barefoot more often. Walk barefoot outside on different surfaces. Balance on one leg barefoot. Squat barefoot. Try toe spacers for short periods of time during the day.
We always assess the feet for any kinetic chain related pain conditions. Fix the foundation and everything above it will become stronger.
Free your feet.
