|
I
have on many occasions explained why it is so important
to have your spine adjusted. How, if it is out of place
it can affect any part of your body. But I have not taken
the time to explain the importance of making sure your
feet are adjusted correctly. Yes feet need to be adjusted
too. Let me explain a little about the feet and the arches
in the foot.
We have 26 different bones and three arches in each foot.
Yes I know most people think we have only one arch but
all three of these arches is what gives us our 'plantar
vault'. Let me explain this plantar vault to you. Our
feet are the foundation of support for the pelvis and
spine. In addition, they support the whole weight of the
body; they provide balance; they propel us; they safely
absorb heel-strike shock and adapt to walking stresses.
The success of this foundation is the arched structure,
which is actually three different arches: the lateral
longitudinal arch, the medial longitudinal arch (the
one we all know of), and the anterior transverse arch
(this is the one by the toes).
Each arch consists of several bones bound together by
tough, yet somewhat elastic ligaments and tendons. These
strong tissues ensure that the structure is flexible and
movable, yet is able to tolerate both sustained stress
and sudden, high forces. Together, these three arches
form an extremely strong, supportive 'plantar vault' that
distributes the weight of the entire body. This three-arched
plantar vault is incredible at supporting weight and carrying
high loads, while maintaining its flexibility. During
normal standing, the entire weight of the body is balanced
over the center of the foot. If everything is going as
it is suppose to the greatest amount of the load is at
the apex of the three arches. This force is then distributed
down the arch towards the heel which carries 50-60% of
the bodies weight and the other 40-50% goes to your toes.
What happens when the
arches collapse?
If anyone one of the three arches
that I mentioned earlier weaken, the entire 'plantar vault'
loses its structural integrity. Once this happens other
compensating bio mechanical stresses begin to develop.
This causes arthritis and pain which sometimes is irreversible.
Because the feet are under continuous gravitational pressure
when bearing the body's weight, the collapse of one or
more arches over time is common experience for all of
us.
As I hinted to before the pain
we receive due to the loss of the arches can occur anywhere
in the skeletal system, from the legs to the pelvis, and
even into the back and neck.
What exactly happens when
the foot hits the ground?
Lets first try to understand the
mechanics the foot goes through during a normal step.
This step will include every motion the foot makes from
the time the heel first touches the ground to the time
the toes leave the ground.
Automobiles
have shock absorbers. We have built in shock absorbers
also. Actually we have two shock absorbers. Our primary
shock absorber is our feet and our secondary is our knees.
Since these are our main shock absorbers they constantly
receive stress. Matter of fact as you will see if something
is not moving right in our feet our primary shock absorber
will not work thus our secondary shock absorber will not
work thus abnormal excessive stresses are applied upon
every joint above.
From the time your heel touches
the ground to the time it touches the ground again is
called a 'gait'. If I have been treating your feet you
have heard me talk about or ask you questions about your
gait. There are two phases within this gait, the stance
phase and the swing phase. We will talk about the stance
phase since that is when most of the action happens.
Contact. The foot lands at the outside aspect of the
heel, with most of the weight on the outer edge. A gradual
shifting of weight to the inner edge follows as the foot
moves down and inward to a position of 'pronation'. This
is accomplished by a particular movement of one of the
joints in the foot. The arches slightly flatten to allow
flexibility and shock absorption in the foot. This is
so if you are on uneven ground your foot can conform to
the ground. The ball of the foot makes initial contact
with the ground.
Midstance. This is the period when weight shifts from
the back to the forefoot. Pronation ends as the foot begins
to roll upward and forward to a position of 'supination'.
The joints of the foot relax and become rigid, preparing
the foot to act as a lever that will launch the body forward.
Body weight moves directly over the foot.
Propulsion. The foot effectively becomes a lever with
the posterior structures providing force and the ball
serving as a fulcrum. With weight shifted to the outer
edge, the foot effectively moves downward and away from
the leg. Toeing off brings the foot away from the ground
and launches it to the swing phase, when no weight is
borne until the stance phase repeats at the next ground
contact.
Structures above the foot undergo equally extensive changes
during stance, as demonstrated by the leg. At the moment
of heel strike, the leg rotates out. As the foot moves
in and forward to pronate, the leg begins to rotate in
that causes slight movement of the thigh. As the leg moves
out it causes the pelvis to tilt back.
So if you have one or more joints in your foot that are
not moving the way they are suppose to, most likely you
will have a joint in your knee and or your pelvis and
spine go under stress and subluxate (bone out of place,
causing interference in your nervous system).
|
