YOUR FEET ARE YOUR FRIENDS

Have you taken a good look at your feet lately? Most of us ignore our feet until they start hurting. What do you see when you study your feet? Do you notice calluses, corns, and bunions? Do you see any redness, cramped toes, or toes that seem pushed together? Sore, aching feet are more than an inconvenience – they can put you out of commission.

Conditions such as calluses, heel spurs, plantar fascitis, and Achilles tendon injuries can impact the quality of life. Our feet are our foundation. If the arches in your feet are dropping too much or if your feet are rolling-in (pronation) when you walk, you may develop other problems. Ankle, knee, and hop pain can all be caused by foot hyper-pronation. Many back conditions – including low-back pain, pelvic pain, and neck pain – can be traced to a poor foot foundation.

Here are some treatment options:
         

• Have your feet adjusted. Did you know that extremity adjusting is something I do in the clinic daily? I adjust feet, ankles, knees, elbows, wrists, hands, and even ears! I have attended numerous seminars on extremity adjusting and as a result have helped many of our patients who have foot problems.
• Custom-made arch supports. Arch supports are called orthotics. Orthotics are an effective way to stabilize your feet and reduce excessive pronation. Too many years of “arch-dropping” will cause the connective tissue in your feet to get permanently stretched. Custom orthotics will help not only your feet but many back problems as well.
• Exercises – doing towel scrunches, rolling a golf or tennis ball under your feet for 30 seconds twice a day, and doing 100 sit-up and push-ups per day will really help. JUST KIDDING ABOUT THE SIT-UPS AND PUSH-UPS!!  We have any number of foot exercises that can be customized for your particular needs.
• Supportive shoes – it’s important to wear shoes that fit properly. Studies have found that most people wear shoes that are too small. Always fit your shoes with a ‘ball’ fit. Sot that the widest part of your foot fits the widest part of your shoe. Don’t worry how far your toes seem to be from the end of your shoe.

We evaluate foot biomechanics several ways including: the Navicular Drop Test, a computerized infrared digital foot scan, and analysis of shoe wear. In fact, I ‘read’ more shoes than I do books! Your feet are telling you a story. Are you listening?