Do you suffer from knee, hip, or lower back pain?
How surprised would you be to discover that sometimes this is caused by poor foot biomechanics?
Thanks to day to day living, our bodies go through a myriad of stresses. One of the most significant stressors on our bodies is the simple act of placing pressure on our feet. This can be through walking, running, any sort of activity we love to do, or even prolonged standing.
Most people have some biomechanical discrepancies when they walk. This can start as early as childhood and continue throughout life. Wearing shoes that are not very supportive, such as flip flops, high heels or shoes with a low arch, can attribute to how our feet hit the ground. If our feet are not contacting the ground properly, it can influence the entire chain (ankles, knees, hips, lower back) and cause discomfort or pain.
People usually do not experience discomfort or pain until they are older. By this point in life, our bodies have been programmed to walk and move a certain way. So, our feet have been contacting the ground in the same way for years and years.
Here are some facts about what happens when we walk:
- 5 X our body weight passes through our feet each day.
- The feet of an individual 130 pounds absorb 500 pounds of pressure with every step. The impact reaches about five million pounds of pressure each day.
- The foot is the body’s shock absorber, along with the knees, hips and discs in the low
- The arch of the foot functions to absorb 30% shock when the foot hits the ground.
- 95% of people have flat feet, which are poor shock absorbers!
- 60% of our body weight is designed to go through our big toe while walking.
- Years of standing and walking on concrete cause the changes in the foot that leads to many of the foot, ankle, knee, hip and back problems we encounter.
When those of us with flat feet walk, the distance from the upper leg to the ground has shortened because of this flattening motion. In addition, a lot of us pronate, or have our ankles ‘roll in’ when we walk. To compensate for these actions, the pelvis may tilt, the spine may bend, the opposite knee might bend, you might move the longer leg out to the side putting stress on the hip or knee for you might go through a combination of these compensating positions. Thus, over a long period of time, the body is going to change. Muscles may fatigue and spasm, bones may change their shapes and joints may be thrown out of kilter resulting in “wear and tear” arthritis.
What can help this? Orthotics!
An orthotic is a supportive device which is placed inside footwear, to change the mechanical function of the foot. It works dynamically during weight-bearing activities like walking, running and standing.
Orthotics can help with several conditions, including:
- Bunions
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Heel Spurs
- Hammertoes
- Calluses
- Bump on Foot
- Knee Pain
- Hip Pain
- Lower Back Pain
- Flat foot vs. Arched foot – Performance enhancement
Orthotic therapy is everyday therapy for the health of your feet, knees, hips and spine.
If you have suffered from any of the pain mentioned above, please visit us at our downtown Beltline clinic or call us at 403-271-6611
