Our feet are complex weight bearing structures that respond daily to gravitational stress, activity, and are subject to change over time and age! Yeah, age...something we don't like to hear about but it's the reality of the connective and soft-tissue life cycle. Let's discuss the parts of the foot and how they can change over time.
FAT PAD
Adipose tissue, a.k.a. body fat exists around the weight bearing portions of our heel and forefoot, giving these structures a protective cushion against hard surfaces. To naturally mimic the fat pads, foot orthotics often utilize a high density foam to add a resilient space to minimize impact on the bones of the heel and forefoot.
PLANTAR FASCIA
Fascia is a type of semi-flexible connective tissue found throughout the body to support organs, separate muscles, and to add support to bones. In the foot, the plantar fascia helps to maintain a healthy arch that helps the foot maintain it's strength while weight bearing in much the same way that a bridge suspends a load of cars as they move across it. Fascia is a dynamic structure, meaning it can change it's length depending on the forces put on it. Excess body weight will inevitably add strain to the plantar fascia, causing it to stretch which in effect causes the arch to spread out and flatten. Plantar fasciitis is a caused by abnormal stress on the plantar fascia which leads to inflammation and pain. It can be resolved by addressing the cause of the stress, and protecting the fascia from future aggravating assaults which could include addressing body weight, activity type, ground surface choice, and a number of manual therapies to assist in restoring anatomical function of the foot such as Chiropractic manipulation of the joints of the feet.
TENDONS
Tendons are connective tissues that join muscle to bone, and there are MANY in the foot! These tendons are also dynamic, responding to the load and stress placed on it while the foot is moving while under tension of gravity. Tendinitis can occur at any tendon in the body when it is strained and inflamed, but in the foot, it is exceptionally common because of the foot's increased stress load with gravitational force coupled with activities like walking/running and long periods of standing. Tendon care is a necessary component of healthy foot care, responding to soft tissue and joint manipulation techniques.
JOINTS
The 26 bones of the foot are held together by ligaments, tendons, and fascia and are controlled by the muscles which attach to them. Bones are rigid structures but they do adapt their shapes over time due to changes in bone density, arthritis, and degenerative conditions that occur when chronically injured or stressed. Bone spurs are often un-noticeable until an x-ray is taken on the foot. Persistent foot pain is an indication of inflammation and is a known cause of degenerative changes that include the presence of heel spurring which occur over a period of years of cumulative strain on the foot.
WHY CUSTOM ORTHOTICS?
Custom orthotics can benefit everyone whether there is a problem in the foot or not. On a healthy foot, these medically prescribed devices can maintain the support and function of a healthy foot and delay (or even prevent) the onset of foot dysfunction. For the person with foot pain and foreseeable dysfunction over time, the following are benefits of being scanned and fitted for orthotics.
Providing support: By maintaining the shape of the arch while protecting it from collapse over time or excess load.
Protecting the joints: Having a flexible or foam based cushion on the surface of the foot is EXTREMELY important! It helps cushion shock, and mimic the fat pads that are present on the bottoms of the feet. Hard and rigid orthotics are often uncomfortable and cause more pressure on the feet. We don't recommend plastic or rigid forms of orthotics...in most cases anyway.
Reducing pain: When the foot shape is maintained, and protected with a comfortable soft surface, other joints become better adjusted to the weight bearing forces during activity. Stresses are removed or reduced which helps relieve pain.
Enhancing performance: Foot form affects balance, reaction time, and reduces fatigue. These are all important for any athletic or physical performance when on your feet.
Injury prevention: When your performance is enhanced while the foot is being well supported, weight bearing stresses become more distributed and have the effect of lessening incidence of injuries.
Improving well being: Foot pain is insidious. It is often un-noticed and is fatiguing to the individual with foot dysfunction. Many people do not realize how much more energy they have when their foot dysfunction and pain are addressed properly, and often live with pain and fatigue not knowing this insidious cycle is happening at all!
Pay attention to your feet, or get a digital scan of your feet to see how your arches are doing. It may help many other parts of your body's pain patterns that are connected to the feet!
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