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Feet First

Writer's picture: France Mayotte HunterFrance Mayotte Hunter

Updated: Oct 28, 2019

When was the last time you acknowledged your feet for all they do for you-- pounding the pavement, running your errands, jumping on the bandwagon-- literally, supporting you through all of the activities of your life? Sure we get the warm foot bath and toe color during sandal weather, but do we ever really take care of our feet given their crucial role in our physical wellbeing? Bottom line, we take our feet for granted until a problem arises.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) considers your feet a marvel of engineering. Together, your two feet contain more than 50 bones, accounting for about one-fourth of all the bones in your body. In their lifetime, the average person walks approximately 100,000 miles.

"Our feet are some of the most abused body parts in modern life and the #1 abuse that feet encounter today is bad footwear. Much footwear in modern society works directly against foot health and proper alignment and functioning. We imprison our feet in tight and ill-fitting shoes and disrupt the way the foot interacts with the ground by wearing a heel that is higher than the toe" (Joshua Maccleur).


And then there's the women's fashion shoe industry. The origin of high heels can be traced back to 15th century Persia when soldiers wore them to help secure their feet in stirrups. Persian migrants brought the shoe trend to Europe, where male aristocrats wore them to appear taller and more formidable. But by the 18th century, high-heeled shoes were largely considered women's footwear (today.com). Don't get me wrong, I have engaged in the female foot fetish myself. And wore shoes too small for my feet to create the illusion of dainty digits. But by the time I realized the anatomical error of my ways, it was too late. The way the foot functions creates compensation all the way up the body-- the knees, hips and the spine, especially the lower back (lumbar spine).


In addition to the myriad bones, joints, muscles and ligaments, the foot is designed with two arches, the strongest of structures in architectural engineering. But confining the feet in too-tight shoes, doesn't allow the biomechanics to function as intended. And the anatomy of the foot is actually very similar to our hands. Just as the hand is, the foot is very important as a sensory organ. The foot finds the ground before the weight of the body is upon it. Once on the ground, the foot has a fraction of a second to sense the surface that the body is about to descend upon, and to relay to the brain messages that will serve to orient the body to deal with variations in terrain. (alexandertechnique.com).


But imagine if we spent our whole lives with a protective covering around our hands. The sensory capabilities and the intended relationship to the environment would be greatly impaired. We were actually meant to walk barefoot to ground our energy, to develop the feet's sensing capabilities and build up tolerance for different kinds of surfaces. Other than going to the beach in the summertime however, we are mostly out of touch with our feet in our environment. And that first hot sand dance of the season is a wake up call to how fragile our feet really are! In populations that don't wear elevated heels or closed-toe shoes, the incidence of foot problems is 3%. In America, the incidence of foot problems is 73% (American Podiatric Medical Assn).


The feet are the foundation of the rest of the body. Changing the proper biomechanical functioning of the foot changes the way the leg interacts with the ground while walking and transfers much of the work from the intended large leg muscles to the hip flexors and other small muscles on the sides of the leg. Tight and stressed hip flexors can cause hip tightness, lower back pain, and problems all the way up the spine including neck and shoulder pain and headaches. Who knew that choosing shoes for the way they look rather than how they fit could have such a domino effect on the rest of our body?


So what can we do about all of this given the way our society has evolved? The fact is, we're not going back to walking the streets barefoot. But first of all, we can encourage the children in our lives to spend more time without shoes. And we ourselves can lose the shoes around our house and in the backyard or at the lake or beach to reconnect with the senses in our feet and toughen up the soles to increase our tolerance. We can also choose shoes with a wider toe box that allows the toes to relax and spread out naturally and the big toe to remain in a straight position for maximum stability. We can also make sure that shoes we use for fitness or extensive walking have a platform that positions the heel and forefoot an equal distance from the ground. This natural foundation aids in optimal alignment, cultivates better form, and encourages a low-impact landing.


Certainly Sisters, we will occasionally choose to wear the pretty, pointy, spiked heels, but when we do we should definitely spring for the valet parking and lose the shoes on the dance floor. In my Sunday's Quick Read, I'll be giving you some concrete suggestions about shoes, insoles, foot strengthening exercises and other foot-health tips. In the meantime, remember always to Mind Your Body to live your best life.



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