The Journal of Foot and Ankle Research reports that approximately 25% of people in the U.S. are affected by foot pain. Not only is foot pain, well, painful, but it can also affect a person well beyond their feet. Pain changes the way we move. It causes us to sit for longer periods of time or changes the way we balance our body weight when we walk.
Often without thinking, these changes can cause the body to become misaligned and put more pressure on the knees, hips, and back causing even more pain. This pain can be isolating and can leave vibrant, active people unmotivated, preventing them from living the life they love and deserve.
This is what we find unacceptable. Every person deserves to live the life they love without their feet getting in the way. As the body’s foundation, your feet matter, and by understanding them more, you can discover the best way to prevent or alleviate pain.
The Feet are the Body’s Foundation
The foot has 33 joints, 26 bones, and over 100 ligaments, muscles, and tendons and your feet are the first part of your body that comes into contact with the ground. Since the average person walks about 100,000 miles during their life, it only makes sense that you may experience foot pain, aches, and discomfort along the way. However, these problems can travel up the kinetic chain of the body and may affect the way you walk and place stress on other parts of the body resulting in pain in the knees, hips, and back.
Kinesiologist Kelsey Graham explains how important it is to align the feet and align the body. “The feet have a really big impact on how the rest of the body moves. The knees, the hips, the lower back especially. If the foot isn’t properly aligned, all of these joints are going to function incorrectly. That results in a lot of muscle tension and chronic pain,” Kelsey says.
Knees
An active, healthy lifestyle requires healthy, pain-free knees. If you fill your free time, days off, weekends, and vacation getaways with hiking, running, cycling, and other on-the-go pursuits, you don’t have time to be bothered with uncomfortable knees.
Pain, aching, and stiffness in and around the knee joint is a result of:
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Injury
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Strain
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Arthritis
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Mechanical problems including foot pain
A study on concurrent foot and knee pain found that having painful knees often results in a significant and noticeable change in quality of life. Any decrease in normal physical function impacts daily activities including walking and standing, balance problems, and an increased risk of falling.
Hips
The interaction between the feet and the hips affects everything in the pelvic area including:
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Hip alignment
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Hip rotation
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Range of motion
When your feet hurt, unfortunately, this may cause you to make significant changes in your posture to help reduce the pain when walking. As a result, discomfort in the feet radiates up to the pelvic area causing hip pain, aches, and discomfort. You certainly don’t want to be stuck at the lodge 24/7 during your annual winter ski trip to Jackson Hole. That’s not what you would call living life to the fullest.
Back
There is a distinct relationship between foot function, foot posture, and back pain. The Oxford University Press, on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology, published a study on how low back pain relates to foot position.
The researchers observed how an alteration of normal foot position had a negative impact on pelvic alignment. The study concluded that using foot orthotics or arch supports was an effective solution to help bring the feet and hips back into alignment. This in turn resulted in a significant reduction in the reporting of uncomfortable back symptoms including pain, aching, and stiffness compared to people not using any type of supportive device.
Ideal Foot Alignment
Ideal foot and body alignment is the key to happy knees, hips and back.
In the video above, Kelsey explains how much of an impact the feet have on the rest of the body. She mentions if you’re experiencing body aches and pains the issue may be that your feet are not properly aligned.
Kelsey says, “When the foot is placed in the ideal position, everything else up the kinetic chain works better. You have better balance, more energy, you’re going to feel better, and you’re not going to have to spend so much time worrying and thinking about your pain.”
Your Good Life Starts with Good Feet
Good Feet Arch Supports are designed to relieve joint pressure, arch pain, and foot discomfort. Adding Good Feet Arch Supports inside your shoes, boots, and sneakers can bring your body into proper alignment and help alleviate pain you’re feeling in your knees, hips, or back.
Kelsey says, “What I really like about The Good Feet System is that the right arch supports can put the foot in its proper alignment so all the joints up the rest of the body will be aligned properly as well.”
Call The Good Feet Store to schedule a time for a Free Fitting and Test Walk or stop by your local store today. During your appointment, you’ll meet with one of our Good Feet Arch Support Specialists who will precisely measure your feet, perform a balance test, determine your arch size, and ask about your lifestyle and activities. Our “try before you buy” approach lets you take all the time you need to make a decision. You can even bring in one or more pairs of your favorite shoes and walk around our store to see how the different arch supports feel.
Visit The Good Feet Store and discover how Your Good Life Starts with Good Feet.
