Have you ever purchased a new pair of shoes, thinking, “God, these are going to turn some heads”? Whether they be a new pair of in-season boots, stilettos, runners or simple dress shoes, have you ever thought about what your shoes are doing to your body? How did shoes evolve from the basic straw moccasin into the essential fashion accessories that damage our feet and bodies nowadays?
The majority of people I see, as a fitness professional, experience foot problems and injuries regularly, whether it’s flat feet, regular rolling of the ankles, tight ligaments, tight dorsi-flexors etc. The cause of such pain, contrary to common knowledge, derives from the cow skin on your feet. However often when visiting a doctor, physiotherapist or even podiatrists, patients often find themselves being told to buy orthotics, or various other forms of insoles, which raise and elevate the feet in “therapeutic” ways. Don’t get me wrong for the right reasons orthotics can be a major help. For example, increasing stability in an unstable joint, preventing a deformed foot from developing additional problems and alleviating chronic pain. However, simply by changing your shoe may prevent most common problems we see orthotics used for nowadays.
Shoes make it near impossible for anyone to have a natural gait pattern (the way in which your foot moves), and yes, runners also. The biomechanics of the human foot are designed so that pressure is absorbed first through the heel, the outer foot then inner finally finishing with the toes, curling to grip the earth we walk on. Our feet are designed with over 200,000 nerve endings, one of the most concentrated areas in the body. Which means your feet are losing a war between shoe and foot, which has been rampant for a thousand years.
In 2007 the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, released research findings in the podiatry journal “The Foot”. Conducted amongst 180 modern humans from three different population groups (Sotho, Zulu, and European), comparing their feet to one another’s, as well as to the feet of 2,000-year-old skeletons. What they found was that prior to the invention of shoes our feet were biologically healthier than they are now. In fact one of the lead researches was quoted saying that, “commercially available footwear is not good for the feet,” after the study had concluded.
Pronation of the foot, or what is commonly known as flat feet is when the muscles, which keep your arch elevated, become weak which results in a flat arch, which then can lead to referred pain in the body i.e. lower back pain or knee pain. Why does this happen? SHOES! In a pair of well padded, gel filled, cushioned, extra support runners, your feet don’t have need for proprioception (nerve endings which sense the bodies position through external stimuli), leading to a lazy and inactive foot. The good news is that the problem can be fixed through prescribed exercises and stretches to help correct the damage already done. This, accompanied with a pair of the shoes listed below will help your on your way to not only healthier feet but an easier pain free life.
to be continued…..
live long, happy and energized,
Andray Voronov
references:
www.nymag.com
www.wikipedia.com
pictures provided by clipart.com
