When we walk, run and all the in-between, our body goes through a set of steps that we call the gait or walking cycle. It starts with your heel on the ground in front of you and the rest of your foot in the air. When your heel hits the ground, it is called the “heel strike”. Next, your foot flattens on the ground, this is called “mid stance”. Then the ball of your foot and toes touch the ground as the heel begins to lift.

When you walk, one leg is swinging forward while the other is bearing the weight of your body. Movement is transferred up into the ankles, knees, hips and up your spine to your head.

Foot Anatomy

Each foot has three arches. One on the inside of the foot, one on the outside and one across the ball of the foot. Each arch plays a vital role in how your foot functions, how you walk and if you will have problems/pain down the road.

There are 26 bones, 33 joints and more than a hundred muscles, ligaments and tendons in each foot.

When you have any issues with your feet, your gait gets altered and dysfunction travels up into the rest of your body. It can cause knee pain, hip issues, low back, upper back, neck pain, headaches, shoulder issues, amongst other issues.

Arch Support

When our feet do not have the proper arch support our feet break down. Shoes in todays age are terrible for you. Look inside your shoes. Very few (if any) have proper arch support for all three arches. When you have a break down of arch support you develop other issue.

If your arches are too high it is called excessive supination. These people have a hard time wearing certain shoes that are too tight, because they create pressure on the top of the foot and the ball of the foot. This happens in about 3 percent of the population

A more common condition is excessive pronation. Which means the arches have fallen toward the floor and flattened out. This will cause you to stand on the insides of your feet. This can cause bunions, corns, callouses and toes that stick up or off to the side.

Stand up. Now purposely roll your feet inward on the insides of your feet. You should feel strain on your ankles, insides of your knees and outsides of your hips. No imagine you can’t tell this pain because over time the arch starts to fall slowly. You can see how you can develop ankle/foot pain, knee pain and hip pain.

Factors that Affect Your Feet

Genetics play a huge role in your feet. If you have family with bunions, corns, weird toes, flat feet… If you don’t support your arches you will likely develop these issues as well!

What we walk on all day also affects our feet and bodies. Concrete and stone are the worse types of flooring to work on. The harder the surface you stand on, the more stress will be on your feet causing your arches to break down faster.

Shoes! Flip flops have zero support in them. They are easy to slip on and off, but are garbage for your feet. (Unless you get special made orthotic flip flops.) Cheap slip on shoes, high heels, most dress shoes, almost all athletic shoes, and every other shoe in between lack the three arches to support your foot. If you did find a shoe with three arches, chances are they will feel weird on your foot because your arches are different from my arches.

Chiropractic and Orthotics

If you want to protect your feet, spine and extremities I suggest looking into custom made flexible orthotics. They need to be flexible so they move with your foot. Remember the 26 bones, they need to be able to move! A rigid, hard orthotic will force your foot into a fixed position and can make foot problems worse.

At our office we have casting kits that mold to your foot. We send them off and in about a week they come back. I wear orthotics in every shoe. I just simply move them from shoe to shoe. As I stand on my feet most of the day I have to have foot support.

Your feet are important, so you need to take care of them. Investing in orthotics can save you pain and money in the long run! If you are interested in getting rid of foot pain, getting custom orthotics or have questions, give us or a chiropractor near you a call!

Getting adjusted also helps keep unnecessary strain off your feet. When you’re balanced you have the same amount of weight on each leg/foot. Be smart and invest in something to help your body from breaking down!

~Dr. Lacey~
Carder Chiropractic Clinic, INC.
El Reno, OK 73036