THE FEET-POSTURE-PAIN CONNECTION
IMPROVING YOUR MUSCULOSKELETAL HEALTH... STARTING WITH YOUR FEET
Imagine your feet as the foundation of a house. Just like a well-built house relies on a solid foundation, your entire body relies on the support and stability provided by your feet.
When you stand, walk, or run, the weight of your body is transmitted through your legs and ultimately absorbed by the arches of your feet, acting as shock absorbers. However, when foot posture deviates from its optimal position, a vicious cycle of deterioration begins. It starts with slouching, leading to mild aches and discomfort, and ultimately progressing to debilitating immobility. '
In fact most chronic pain can be attributed to how we hold ourselves and how we distribute the weight of our body. It stands as the primary reason people visit doctors, and it ranks as the second highest cause for the consumption of prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
Health economists have reported the annual cost of chronic pain CAUSED BY POOR POSTURE is higher than the yearly costs for cancer, heart disease, and diabetes TOGETHER!
Whats interesting is that over 80% of people STILL exhibit structural foot misalignments.
If you realize that your potential is relative to the degree that you are supported from below, then pay attention to the feet– especially the arches of the feet.
The Foot's Impact
Whats truly AMAZING is that all of these issues can be traced back to problems with our feet:
- Increased Stress-levels
- Anxiety
- Mental fatigue
- Low confidence
- Headaches
- Stomach pain
- Back, shoulder and neck pain
- Reduced lung capacity
- Knee and hip pain
- Foot and ankle pain
I know what you are thinking.. How on earth can anxiety be connected to your feet?
The fascinating connection between foot posture and pain has captured the attention of scientists and health professionals alike. It turns out that our feet, often overlooked and taken for granted, play a pivotal role in the intricate web of musculoskeletal function.
Consider the mechanics of our feet during walking or running. With each step, our feet absorb the impact of our body weight and provide stability for propulsion. But they do more than just carry us around. They provide important sensory feedback to our brain about our body.
The sensory feedback we receive from our feet helps our brain make adjustments to maintain balance & equilibrium. It involves the brain processing sensory signals and translating them into motor actions, particularly muscle movements. We rely on this information to sense our bodys position in space, velocity, and tension.
But what happens when we have misaligned feet?
Pronation VS Supination
The 2 most common postural imbalances of a proper foot posture.
Pronation is the tendency for the foot to roll too far inward as you take steps
Supination is the tendency for the foot to roll too far outward as you take steps.
Whatever issues or imbalances you may have it can easily disrupt your center of gravity and ruin your delicate balance, leading to problems with posture, stability, and overall well-being.
Your brain will essantially create subluxations: Increasing muscle hypertonicity on one side of the spine and flaccidity on the other side.
This creates a domino effect: your posture changes as your legs rotate inward, hips rotate forward (often unevenly), and your upper body and head drift forward. Additionally, to compensate for this "head forward" posture and the accompanying muscle tension and spasms, your body subconsciously adopts "Common Compensation Patterns." Unfortunately, over time, these compensation patterns further deform your posture, leading to increased muscle strain and pain.
Of course, these musculoskeletal subluxations will cause advanced degenerative changes over time but it does so in order to protect organs over muscle. These compensations may be the result of our feet and may feel bad, and lead to all kind of problems and chronic pain but they are the sacrifice for increased dural tension.
And what is really sad is that some of thoose people develop chronic or recurrent problems because they receive traditional treatment for their posture (e.g. pain killers or anti-inflammatory medication) or expensive chiropractic visits but never receive treatment for the underlying problem that is causing it in the first place.
Correcting your feet-posture is not only a wise choice but also a means of avoiding considerable suffering and exorbitant medical expenses.
Standing or walking should not require excessive effort or cause pain. With good feet posture your body's joints will be aligned properly in their neutral position, your posture muscles remain balanced and relaxed. Weak muscles will get stronger, and strong muscles will get stretched naturally over time with everyday movements.
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Upper Body Strenght
TRY FOR 30 DAYSThe best alternative for an excessive forward curvature of the upper back. Let your shoulders blades relax and fall naturally in place while strenghtening core muscles.
