Posture and Pain: From the Feet Up

The ideal body has a framework of curves and arches that, with the joints, support and balance the body’s weight. When spinal curves or foot arches flatten or are exaggerated, our center of gravity is shifted. The result? Pain!

The more self-imposed problems often come from poor ergonomics when using the computer or doing some other activity repetitively over a long period of time that disturbs the balance of the body’s structural components. Even worse is doing an activity incorrectly and repetitively.

The body is all about balance. If the bones are in their proper places, joints meeting as they should, then the muscles are not fighting against each other or against misaligned or stuck bony elements to facilitate movement. A balanced body is a body with fluid, painless movement.

Imbalanced, strained muscles pull on bones, joints, and ligaments, rotating and tilting skeletal components throughout the human form. Rippling upward from our foundation, improper foot structure or use can cause symptoms all the way up to the head. The problem may appear small and insignificant, but the cascade it can initiate can be damaging.

We don’t tend to think of our feet until they exhibit some problem. These trusty, pyramid-shaped stabilizers of the body do their job virtually unthought of as we go about our tasks from day to day. But your whole body knows it when your feet hurt. Their pain is radiated to other areas disturbed by the awkward gait or tentative foot strike of the injured area.

Whenever there is an injury to an area, other areas compensate for the lost movement. If you limp, the other leg attempts to take up the slack. In so doing, it is strained and more easily injured itself. In protecting the original site of pain, the body is brought out of balance and into a state of strain and dysfunction.

To illustrate, let’s consider the common problem of flat feet. The normal foot has nearly the same arch when it is bearing weight and when it is not. Flat feet have various degrees of arch degradation when the body’s weight is on them.

As the arch rotates inward, the foot also rotates forward. The tibia or lower leg bone descends and turns internally with the flattened arch, pulling the entire skeletal frame with it. The toes point outward, and the leg becomes functionally shorter. The Achilles tendon at the heel bows inward. The tibia’s rotation takes with it the knee. The body’s center of gravity is forced forward to the forefoot, as is the body’s weight.

If the condition is unequal or unilateral, the body will lean to one side. If the lean is slight, it may easily go unnoticed. That side will experience compression. Muscles and fascia will become habitually shortened and tight. Organ function may eventually be compromised. Blood and nerve supply is impaired. Joints of the compressed side can lose their range of motion.

On the other side, the bony structures are drawn toward the compressed side, while the muscles are stretched tight trying to right the body. With this torquing of the body, a functional scoliosis is created. One shoulder is tugged downward with the short side, bringing with it the neck and head.

This chain of events can cause foot, ankle, knee, hip, sacroiliac, back, and neck pain. Several disorders of the foot itself will emerge over time. And as ever so far away it may seem, jaw dysfunction can occur.

Pain can be from inflammation where stresses on the framework cause dysfunction such as joint misalignment, muscle fatigue, spasms, restricted blood flow, and disturbed enervation to the muscles. Myofascial trigger points in leg muscles can disrupt the proper function of the foot. Over time, these issues wear down the joints.

The foot itself can develop callus buildup, bunions, neuromas, and so on, which can all be signals of alignment problems. Where do you find calluses on your foot, if any? This tells you where there is pressure on the foot. Are the toes straight or turned in or out? Does your arch flatten when you stand? Are there toes turning under others? Do the toe joints bend easily, or are they stiff and claw-like?

Surgery is often the chosen solution for many problems that can often be avoided or minimized. Surgery also often has its own set of problems once it is done. It is our responsibility to take care of ourselves. It is our responsibility to be as informed as possible on our choices. Surgery should be a last option, not a first reaction.

Our feet were not designed to be cooped up in shoes or to walk on mostly hard, flat surfaces. By imprisoning these ingenious tools, we have robbed them of their strength. No longer do the muscles of the legs and feet have to constantly adapt to changes in the surfaces on which they travel. Adaptation is what made them and our core strong.

On uneven surfaces, bare feet adjust with each step. When the arch is pressured, its reflex is to withdraw by contraction. Each contraction strengthens the arch and its support system. Modern life has weakened both the arch and the several leg muscles that assist in arch functioning. Shoes made more for fashion than for functionality have also increased foot disorders.

The first step is to correct the foot’s stance and thereby bring better balance to the body. This alone can ease pain and inflammation. Supportive footwear, muscle retraining, and sometimes orthotics can all help in regaining balance. Podiatry or chiropractic consults are a good place to start.

Working with your chosen health care provider, a good massage therapist can then deal with the involved muscles. Trigger points in the lower leg and foot muscles need to be defused through gradual, deep pressure. An example of a trigger point would be when a pressed calf muscle refers pain to the heel.

If a trigger point is less reactive, a muscle stripping or deep lengthwise stroke can be effective. Kneading the muscle can also bring some relief. This work must be done to your level of tolerance, so be sure to communicate with your therapist throughout your session.

Long-held fascial tissue restrictions also need to be worked out. Muscle fiber adhesions can then be released through pressure and stretching. All this work stimulates the circulatory and nervous systems and gives relief to the tissues and joints.

Your professionals are working to make your life better. Not too much can be permanently accomplished without you as a participating partner. Your job is to work on strengthening the arch and muscles supporting it.

Pick up small objects with your toes. Roll a small ball under your foot in the arch. Write a short sentence in the air with your toes. Put your weight on the outside of your feet and contract your toes a bit. Feel that position for ten or more seconds where the arch is lifted. Relax and repeat. Keep your feet busy—use those joints to keep them flexible.

So now it is up to you. If you suspect that feet may be at least part of a problem that you or a loved one has, get a professional opinion or two. Make yourself a full partner in the process. This could also mean improving your diet to support muscles, joints, bones, nerves, and circulation.

In our hectic lives, we tend to tune in to the external and tune out the body and all it is warning us about. We need to pay attention for our own health as well as that of our children. A proper and early diagnosis can help prevent a lifetime of pain.

** This article is one of 101 great articles that were published in 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Health. To get complete details on “101 Great Ways to Improve Your Health”, visit http://selfgrowth.com/healthbook3.html