Put your best foot forward: how shoe arch supports can help align your spine

Foot problems can affect your knee, hip, back … even your jaw

Did you know that a quarter of all the bones in your body are in your feet? That’s right. Your feet contain a grand sum of 52 bones. The intricate design and the number of bones in your foot mean that misalignment can easily occur. However, resulting pain or poor function often refers to other parts of your body. The good news is that there are things you can do to help. Read on to learn more about the structure of your foot, how chiropractic care can assist, and if arch supports in your shoes could help maintain alignment for you. The human foot is a highly developed, bio-mechanically complex structure. Your feet are responsible for bearing the weight of your body, plus have the job of propelling your whole body forward as you walk, skip, hop or run. When you walk, your feet are supporting one and a half times of your body weight. So, imagine the pressure and impact of running!

Do you have these pain symptoms?

Foot problems can affect the normal function of your knee, hip, spine, and even your jaw. What’s more, pain in your lower back can be connected to improper mechanics in the foot too. The neutral position of the foot is designed to transmit forces as you go through the stages of walking. These forces go through the lower limb and up to the pelvis and spine. Misalignment with the bones in the foot, and therefore a mal-positioned arch, means these forces cannot transmit effectively. This can lead to a variety of problems including foot pain, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, knee pain, hip pain or back pain. This is where arch supports can assist.

What type of foot arch do you have?

Whether you are a supinator (+/- 3% of the population) or a pronator (+/- 67% of the population), each brings its own set of challenges. If you don’t know what type of arch you have, take the Runners World test to find out. 

• Supinators

If you have a high arch (“supinators”), you tend to have tight muscles around the foot. This makes your feet rigid and less able to absorb shock efficiently. Stress fractures and Achilles tendon problems can develop as a result.

• Pronators

If you are a pronator, the musculature in your foot tends to be too relaxed which flattens your arch. Here, shock absorption takes place but tends to transmit further up the leg causing knee pain, hip pain, low back pain, and plantar fasciitis in the foot.

Arch supports can help

An array of foot problems can be treated with shoe inserts called custom made orthotics (CMO). Arch supports are medical devices inserted into the shoe that:

• act as shock absorbers,

• promote proper alignment,

• aid mechanics of the feet,

• restore balance,

• treat certain foot conditions,

• remove stress from the lower extremity and can alleviate pain in the knees, hips and lower back.

 Making sure you have the right type of shoe for your foot, together with suitable orthotics (arch supports) can go a long way to avoiding complications and pain that arises from foot dysfunction. As chiropractors, we can assess your feet and gait patterns and give recommendations for what you can do to help yourself. We are not podiatrists, but we can recommend you to a podiatrist to support our treatment.

About Sydney Spine & Sports Clinic

At Sydney Spine and Sports Clinic, we put you first. We believe in offering chiropractic care that enables you to make informed and educated choices about your health. We can help you find relief for back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, and hip pain plus treat common conditions like sciatica and headaches. If you are suffering discomfort and would like to talk to us about how we can help you get mobile and active again – get in touch to make an appointment.