What do these examples have in common? You’re right! They all put pressure on our feet. When we run, we put stress on our feet. When we walk, there are those feet again leading us wherever we go!
Estimates indicate the average American takes over 10,000 steps each day. That’s more than 3.5 million steps each year. No wonder our feet HURT!!! The research says our feet do hurt!! Can we put the blame on our feet? The evidence indicates that our feet are probably not to blame. If our feet are not at fault, then what is the culprit? Without being too hard on ourselves, the answer has to be——WE ARE!! More appropriately, our lifestyle is probably the cause of our painful feet. Not only are we on the go, we feel a great need to look “just right” while we’re on the trip. That means, amongst other things, the latest and greatest in “designer” footwear.
Like the clothing business, designers of footwear are searching for the “hottest” look for each season. Comfort and good health are great if they don’t interfere with design and marketability. A perfect example is women’s “high heel shoes.” There is no way to argue that 6″ or even 3″ high heels are appropriate for good healthy feet. In fact, the prolonged wearing of high heels has caused many health problems for American women. Health problems resulting from high heels are back pain, knee pain, hip and pelvic pain, not to mention our original foot pain.
High heels force an unnatural forward curvature of the spine and creates an unbalanced position in the entire body. When this unbalanced positioning occurs, other systems in the body are forced to compensate for it. We’ve all seen that embarrassing moment when it almost appears that a young women is about to actually fall off her high heel shoes. This might not really happen, but it does have some basis in fact. Because of the forward curving of the spine that is caused by the high heels, the body has difficulty maintaining its center of gravity. Therefore, the occasional incidence of rocking back and forth, appearing to be on the verge of falling.
Well what can we do!! Chiropractors are well known for treating the cause of pain and not just the pain itself. We will do our utmost to advise you on a healthier approach to footwear. We will also examine your spine to ensure that the imbalance caused by the improper footwear hasn’t resulted in a vertebral misalignment. If a misalignment is detected, a gentle spinal adjustment will most likely be all that is needed.
Remember, time is the friend of disease. If you are experiencing foot, leg or back pain contact us quickly. The longer you suffer, the more damage can be done.
