Have you ever wondered how your footwear may be affecting your body mechanics or how it is possibly a culprit in your back pain frustrations?
You, of course, have a standing desk, exercise, take the stairs, and so on, all for a healthier, active lifestyle. But you may be proverbially shooting yourself in the foot with your footwear selection.
Each of our feet is composed of 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The foot is an engineering marvel made this way for a reason: to create and control movement.
Before concrete, flattened, man-made surfaces, our feet were constantly challenged by undulating surfaces. This kept them strong, healthy, and functional. In the modern world, it’s not practical to walk around barefoot (nor socially accepted in most places). However, modernity doesn’t have to compromise nature.
Simply stated, when we cram our feet into tight and narrow footwear, we paralyze our feet from their natural movement, altering the way we function.
Refer to the pictures below. When we toe off in our walk, the foot turns into a rigid lever to propel forward (left). When we step forward and land with the other foot into heel strike, the rigid lever then turns into a shock absorber by splaying outward to dissipate force (right).
