Foot Structure Key To Walking

No one thinks about walking. Walking is an incredibly complex act, that requires little to no conscious thought, but does demand the work of many muscles, the motion of hundreds of joints
in the body, and the stretching of ligaments throughout. Walking is the primary means of exercise for many individuals, but it’s a delicate balance of bone and muscle allows us to stand and walk with ease, and without pain.

Gravity can be a tremendously debilitating force. Bony stability is necessary to counteract the deforming forces of gravity, but poor skeletal alignment will cause this stable structure to
deform. The foot wasn’t meant to walk on perfectly flat surfaces the vast majority of our standing and walking time. An unstable foot structure, can result in the arch lowering too much,
which will often cause the lower leg to turn in too much. This type of “functional“ alignment problem can result in chronic low back pain, arch or heel pain, or knee degeneration, and a
myriad of other painful problems.

Orthotics can bring the ground up to the feet, rather than have gravity forcibly bring the foot down to the ground. This excess motion of the foot is usually accompanied by excess stress and
strain to our joints, ligaments and muscles, the structures that play such a critical role in stance and gait. To do that, orthotics should be unique to that person, to control the biomechanical issues that are causing stress to the painful joints and muscles.