One of the questions I ask when a person comes in to the office with chronic or recurrent low back pain is, do you have foot or knee pain? Why you ask? What do my feet have to do with my low back? Maybe they mean a lot more than you think. Your feet form the foundation for your pelvis and spine. If your pelvis is level, your spine will tend to be straighter and more stable.
From the time you learn to walk, your feet assume three crucial functions: they support your body whenever you stand, walk, or run; they assist you in achieving movement from one place to another; and they help protect your bones and soft tissues from damaging shock stress as you move. Being overweight, having minor structural defects in the feet, or injuries — all of these factors can contribute to additional foot and body stress. So even though one-quarter of all the bones in your body are ina your feet, having to perform these three strenuous tasks day after day can (and often does) lead to some type of foot and/or body problem. It’s not too surprising to learn, therefore, that by the age of twenty, nearly 80% of us have some kind of foot problem, and by age forty almost everyone does.
- A loss of arch height will cause a flattening and rolling in of the foot— this is termed pronation. Because everything is connected, the bones of the leg also inwardly rotate.
- Excessive rotation of the bones of the leg (tibia and femur) will cause unnecessary stresses on the knee as well as twisting of the pelvis and spine. If the pronation is more prevalent on one side, there can be a resultant unleveling of the pelvis and a functional scoliosis.
- Tilting of the pelvis places tension on muscles and connective tissues, which can eventually lead to chronic back problems.
- High levels of heel-strike shock can result from breakdown of the body’s natural “shock absorbers.” The shock wave then transmits up the kinetic chain causing painful symptoms all the way up to the head, slowed recovery of leg and spine injuries, and aggravation of other conditions.
If your feet are over-pronated or you have fallen arches, your foot will roll toward your big toe. This change in structure of your feet can cause bunions, knee pain and hip pain. If your feet are experiencing pain, it changes the way you walk, stand and move. You will tend to favor the painful foot and cause hip pain on the opposite side. Wearing Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers inside your shoes is similar to placing a shim beneath the leg of a wobbly table: it adds support to eliminate unwanted motion in the entire structure.
If you have foot problems or think you could benefit from shoe orthotics, give our office a call for an evaluation to determine if orthotics are for you.
Dr. Whidden is a former U.S. Navy pilot turned chiropractor in Destin, Florida. Emerald Coast Chiropractic, finding solutions to today’s health care issues, Who’s YOUR Chiropractor?
Ken Whidden, DC
Emerald Coast Chiropractic