Your Foundation-Your Feet

Symmetry and balance are two keys to body health. In the human frame we should consider the feet to be our foundation. Every activity we do is balanced on these two structures. The feet are a very sophisticated array of bones, ligaments, tendons and muscle. When they are properly aligned and balanced, our feet correctly support the rest of our body. When they are not aligned properly or moving freely they can change our posture all the way up through our body.

Just like architecture, the foundation supports the whole structure. A weak foundation or poor foot posture changes how stress progresses through the body during activity. Imagine if the arch on one foot was lower than the one on the other foot. Your body weight would be shifted to that foot, putting extra stress on that foot. The process then travels up causing the knee to lean toward the mid-line (knock-knees). The new knee position puts stress on the inside of the knee and increases the angle at which the thigh meets up with the pelvis. This increases the stress at the hip joint and can also make this side of the pelvis appear lower that the other side. Since the spine is supported by the pelvis, this could put undo stress in the spine. Just as the song goes, the foot bone is connected to the knee bone, the knee bone connected to the hip bone, and so on.

A stable spine is extremely important for your overall health, but if the structures that support it aren't working well, the body will not function at optimum. When the leaning Tower of Pisa was built all those years ago, the intent was to have a building that was straight. The weak foundation is what left us with the leaning tower we have today. Unlike a building, our bodies compensate to bring our eyes back to level. This compensation can lead to problems elsewhere in the body. Patients that enter office after not reaching their health goals are looking for a new approach. Lower back pain, knee pain, and many other conditions may not stabilize or heal as readily if their uneven feet are not corrected as well. A strong foundation keeps the body working great.

To make sure your foundation is strong we perform pressure scan on our patient's feet. These scans show us any asymmetries in the foot. These asymmetries can be affecting the foot or causing an imbalance somewhere else in the body. Making sure the foot is supported and correctly aligned not only helps the foot to feel better and work better, but changes the way the rest of the body works as well. Research was done with golfers who reported feeling less tired, having lower scores, noticing better balance, and shooting 9-15 yards farther after using a custom orthotic. This is an example of foot health affecting the mechanics of the body all the way up to the shoulders! When the foot is unbalanced your whole body can be off balanced as well.

Custom orthotics are different than one that you pick up at the local drug store. Custom orthotics are designed to fit your foot and support each of the three arches in the foot precisely to give you the maximum benefit. Different orthotics are needed depending on your activities and footwear. Wearing an orthotic made specifically for you will support your body and help return your body to balance.

By: Jill Aardema DC