Your feet, the foundation of your body. They bear all of your weight and carry you through each day. A quarter of the bones in your body and over 30 joints are found in your feet! They are one of the most important parts of your structural system. When the bones in your feet are misaligned or causing you pain, your whole body suffers. Just one small misalignment can translate to knee, hip and even back pain. You see it's all connected and when one portion fails the others must compensate. This can lead to joint irritation in areas far from your feet.
One of the most common misalignment's of the feet are fallen arches or flat feet as they are commonly referred to; A term that is often used without an explanation. A fallen arch is the result of bone misalignment in the feet. Once the bones are out of position, connective tissue and ligaments, which are designed to support the arch of your foot, find themselves stretched and stressed. Feet aren't the only part of the body that can be troubled by this. A fallen arch causes stretching of the plantar fascia, the large band of connective tissue, on the bottom of your feet. This stretch can cause the ankles to lean inward, which typically twists the knees and hips. This can have a big impact on your entire body!
Let's think about when you take a step. In a healthy foot, typically the heel touches down first, then the outside arch, followed by the ball of your foot and finally the toes touch, lifting your heel off the ground and propelling you forward for the next step. This helps you accelerate and decelerate as you move and acts as a natural shock absorber. A misalignment or a fallen arch makes the entire foot contact the ground at the same time. Without the natural flow from heel to toe, you loose the change in speed and your foot no longer absorbs the impact of your stride. This leaves the joints above your foot with an increased stress, pain, and dysfunction.
Put this together into one picture and you find your ankles, knees, hips, and even your back being twisted, stressed, and left taking the shock of each step you take. It's no wonder pain quickly follows!
One of the most common treatments for foot discomfort are arch supporting orthotics. Orthotic insoles help to support the arch of the foot while also providing relief to sore knees that have been working overtime to keep you upright. While they can help a healthy foot stay healthy, they aren't helping to fix the problem of an already misaligned foot. Think of it this way; When a bone is broken the bone is typically left in the wrong place. If you put a cast on the bone while it's in the incorrect place it will heal the break but it will not heal correctly, eventually causing more problems. That cast would only allow the bone to fuse; It wouldn't allow for normal joint and body functioning later on. Putting a cast on a bone that is out of place is similar to using orthotics on feet that aren't correctly aligned. The key is to re-align the foot into the correct position so that the foot can heal properly and the orthotics can do their job! Other options include medication which will only mask the pain of the problem and surgery which comes with many risks. An alternative trusted method is to visit a Chiropractor who can adjust your feet!
If you are one of those people who starts and/or ends every day with foot pain it's time that changes. Chiropractic care is typically painless and addresses the root of the problem relieving the pain and stress. Why bother paying thousands for surgery or just masking the effect of the pain when you can stop it all together? A Chiropractor can adjust the bones in your feet, relieving stress throughout your body and giving you a better quality of life.