Do Your Feet Feel Abused?
Heel abuse your feet (and sometimes your back)
The foot is a marvel of structural design. When functioning normally, it endures a tremendous amount of shock throughout the day and still smiles at day's end, with no evidence of fatigue. Unfortunately, this is not true for a large number of people. Foot problems are very common. Interestingly, when the foot is involved, the entire body usually becomes involved as a result.
It may seem that foot problems should be rare if you wear shoes or other protective footwear on a regular basis. However, research often indicates the opposite. Our feet are actually made to contact the ground directly when we walk, jog, and run. The foot's efficient, shock-absorbing design is significantly compromised when we wear shoes during these normal activities.
Flip-flops are an obvious example of poor footwear. You can feel your toes gripping to keep the flip-flop on every time you bring the foot off of the ground, which is the opposite of what should be happening when the foot is preparing for its next contact with the ground. When you change the muscle contraction patterns in any region of the body, there will be structural consequences, often resulting in pain and dysfunction.
High-heels are another great example because it's easy to see how they place the ankle joint at a stressful angle while at the same time crowding the toes together in the front of the shoe. This again forces altered patterns of muscle contraction in the feet, legs, and all of the way up to the pelvis and back.What about running shoes you ask?
Well that's a bit more complicated because they can vary. However, the bottom line of research on this subject continues to show that running barefoot is more efficient than running with shoes on. The muscles of the body have to work harder and end up using more energy when running with shoes compared to running without shoes. Barefoot running may be ideal and at McMichael Chiropractic, we often include recommendations for barefoot walking during foot rehabilitation. It allows the joints and muscles of the feet to move freely, as intended. Like neck and back pain, restoring proper joint motion is critical for reducing pain in the long-term.
If your feet have suffered from years of wearing footwear like heels or flip-flops, the structure of your feet may receive more benefit from custom orthotics (shoe-inserts) that support the weakened areas. Since everyone (and every foot) is different, we recommend you don't begin any regimen of barefoot walking or running without first talking to your doctors at McMichael Chiropractic.
It may seem that foot problems should be rare if you wear shoes or other protective footwear on a regular basis. However, research often indicates the opposite. Our feet are actually made to contact the ground directly when we walk, jog, and run. The foot's efficient, shock-absorbing design is significantly compromised when we wear shoes during these normal activities.
Flip-flops are an obvious example of poor footwear. You can feel your toes gripping to keep the flip-flop on every time you bring the foot off of the ground, which is the opposite of what should be happening when the foot is preparing for its next contact with the ground. When you change the muscle contraction patterns in any region of the body, there will be structural consequences, often resulting in pain and dysfunction.
High-heels are another great example because it's easy to see how they place the ankle joint at a stressful angle while at the same time crowding the toes together in the front of the shoe. This again forces altered patterns of muscle contraction in the feet, legs, and all of the way up to the pelvis and back.What about running shoes you ask?
Well that's a bit more complicated because they can vary. However, the bottom line of research on this subject continues to show that running barefoot is more efficient than running with shoes on. The muscles of the body have to work harder and end up using more energy when running with shoes compared to running without shoes. Barefoot running may be ideal and at McMichael Chiropractic, we often include recommendations for barefoot walking during foot rehabilitation. It allows the joints and muscles of the feet to move freely, as intended. Like neck and back pain, restoring proper joint motion is critical for reducing pain in the long-term.
If your feet have suffered from years of wearing footwear like heels or flip-flops, the structure of your feet may receive more benefit from custom orthotics (shoe-inserts) that support the weakened areas. Since everyone (and every foot) is different, we recommend you don't begin any regimen of barefoot walking or running without first talking to your doctors at McMichael Chiropractic.
