Growing up playing hockey we were always told that to succeed we would have to do whatever it took to win. To lay it all on the line. To sacrifice our bodies for the sake of a victory and the team. Well, being the good teammate that I was during one game in an attempt to block a shot I skated into a 90 mile an hour slap shot. I was successful as the puck ricocheted off my foot and into the corner. My teammates cheered. I winced on the ice in pain.
It turns out my foot was broken, I couldn't walk but I could skate so I (very stupidly) continued to play for months. My foot was either in my skate or in an aircast for 3 months. Needless to say, my foot has never recovered and to this day every time I take a step the arch in my left foot collapses inward towards the floor sending stress into my knee and pelvis.
My foot problems stem from an injury, however for the majority of people this isn't the case. So the question is why are so many people suffering from foot problems?
In my opinion one of the biggest reasons is that we were not designed to walk on hard surfaces like tile, marble, wood, or concrete. We were designed to walk on grass, dirt, sand, mud, and other natural terrain. These natural softer terrains are more conforming to the shape and structure of the foot, thereby keeping the arch supported, and causing the muscles, ligaments and tendons of the foot and ankle to work the way they were designed.
There is also much evidence that invention of shoes have created the problem. When we wear shoes, especially those with padding, the body senses lack of movement and information from the sensory structures in the foot. The body starts tightening up muscles reducing range of motion, atrophying the muscles, and decreasing foot awareness and control. As the muscles weaken this creates a greater stresses on the ligaments causing them to stretch and the arch to collapse.
Several years after my injury, I started to realize that I was starting to lose the function and coordination in my damaged left foot. Fortunately, I had better advice this time around and worked with a chiropractor and physiotherapist who guided me through the proper rehabilitation process. For over a year I worked daily on re-building the arch and mechanics of my foot. The results were great, I watched as my arch returned to near normal; my balance and stability considerably improved. However, I like most people, spend a lot of time on hard surfaces, and even with my new and improved foot, I started to notice that not only would I suffer from Plantar Fasciitis but my knee would also start to swell. This is when I was first introduced to custom orthotics.
Like padded shoes custom orthotics are supposed to offer people with flat feet or high arches "support" to improve the biomechanics of the foot, knee, and pelvis. The problem here is that offering more support to muscles that are already weak and ligaments that are already lax is only going to enable more of the same. The only way to correct the problem is to strengthen them with foot exercises and going barefoot as often as possible.
Yes, your drug may help with heart disease, but it isn't fixing the problem. Yes, orthotics may temporary relieve your foot pain, but it isn't fixing the problem. What fixes the problem? Getting enough sleep, eating correctly, and exercising is the only way to Lifetime Wellness. Proper mobility and rehabilitation work for the latter. And getting off the hard surfaces and standing in one spot all day.
For me orthotics have worked and continue to work beautifully, I am able to stand and walk on concrete, pavement, and other hard surfaces for long periods of time without any pain or swelling. Now obviously, a better solution would be to avoid standing and running on hard surfaces for long periods of time but if you're someone like me who has a job that requires it, it may not be realistic for you to quit your job. So as you can see there are certain instances where orthotics can be used effectively. However, remember that orthotics do not fix the problem; make absolutely sure you are concurrently rehabilitating your feet.
When you are walking or running the best thing you can do is to get off the concrete. Ideally, everyone should do true trail or cross-country walking or running. The terrain should be soft, constantly changing and unstable. Walk or run on beaches or grass, hop over logs and benches, go up and down hills, and scramble over rocks. This is what we were designed to do!
Obviously, most people don't have access to the beach. Be creative; do anything you can to vary your surface, and to get off the concrete every chance you get. Put parks on your route whenever possible. If it's a small one, run or walk around it on the grass five times before continuing. No park? Use people's lawns! Getting the idea? Just do anything you can think of to keep changing the stresses on your body. Not only will this prevent injury, but it will make you much stronger.
I also believe that going barefoot is the best solution we can do to help counteract atrophy of the feet. While if you have pain or worse symptoms then specific work may be needed, barefoot helps rebuild the feet especially if agility and balance work are incorporated effectively. I will elaborate more on this in a future article.
Dr. Michael Gibson is a Kanata chiropractor and the clinic director of The Wellness Group, a multidisciplinary health facility and the creator of Lifetime Wellness. He currently practices chiropractic in Kanata full time with a focus on educating and empowering his practice members to achieve abundant health and maximum quality of life.
