The human body is much more complex than a man-made machine. Ironically, we know the alignment of a machine is essential before putting it into operation, but we don’t apply the same concept to ourselves.

You will probably check your tires and suspension system before a road trip. Do you do the same to your feet before a running match or another sporting event? Are you calibrating your feet to prevent elderly falls?

In this article, we will cover foot health basics and how it is essential for the rest of the body. You will also know how misalignments, foot and ankle pain, and other foot problems have far-reaching consequences on other body parts.

CONSIDER THESE FACTS to prevent foot and ankle pain

Most people take foot health for granted. So, it is a good idea to start our discussion with a few interesting facts:

The word “plantar” which refers to the bottom of the foot, comes from “plant”. Our nature is to rest the feet on the soil, not on hard wooden floors.
Hard floors will slowly collapse the foot arch and make your feet suffer. The arches constantly fluctuate and shake in the absence of soil, grass, or at least a synthetic cushion. Studies show that low-back and lower-leg discomfort and fatigue are more prevalent on hard floors (1).
When the foot arch changes, the weight on your feet redistributes. The ankle bone tilts, and the joints that stand on the ankles become misaligned. Solving this issue may improve back and knee pain by up to 38% (2).
If you stand straight and look at your feet’ bones from behind, you will see that only the lateral part of the ankle bone supports the weight. The space is filled with soft tissue (muscle, ligaments, tendons). Keeping them in shape is also essential to keeping your balance. This can be one of the reasons why reflexology massages improve back pain symptoms in some patients (3).

Our feet's natural curves and soft tissue can be affected, even if you don’t have a flat foot. When the foot arch changes, other bones supported by the ankles suffer the consequences. Moreover, you might not be able to fully utilize your body strength if your feet become misaligned.

That’s why many athletes look for foot support and physical therapy. It’s a solution to their bone, joint, and soft tissue damage before they compromise physical performance. It is also important to prevent injuries in the field (4).

The far-reaching consequences of foot misalignment

Most people think the spine is responsible for keeping the body straight. But can you keep your spine straight when your hips are tilted to one side? Try it yourself, and see how difficult it is. In some cases, severe misalignment of your hips can cause spinal deformities and abnormal curvatures.

It’s like a chain reaction:

To align the spine, you need to align your hip bones.
To align your hips, your legs should remain straight.
To stand with your legs straight, the ankle bones and the soft tissue in your feet should be in good shape.

Foot problems can give you or aggravate a spinal problem, compromise your balance, and reduce your range of motion (5). Also, a spinal deformity can trigger neuralgia and chronic pain. Either directly or indirectly, giving attention to your feet can benefit the rest of your body.

But nobody teaches this basic understanding of foot health. Consequently, our foot arches start falling when we’re toddlers, and people only care for their feet after developing complications of preventable diseases.

Foot problems and their consequences

To illustrate how plantar health affects the rest of the body, let’s go through a few common foot problems and their consequences:

Flat foot: This deformation happens when the arches fall entirely to ground level. This is probably the best example to show the importance of foot health. The weight center changes, muscle strength is not distributed correctly, and patients end up with posture and balance issues, especially when walking or running (6).
Calluses: When you develop calluses, it is because all the weight goes to the heel and the ball of the foot. These areas have increased friction against your shoe and hinder blood circulation. This can be problematic in the long run, especially if you have diabetes mellitus.
Plantar fasciitis: When your feet are not adequately supported, the plantar fascia stretches and becomes inflamed. If you don’t attend to the problem, the plantar fascia tears when it’s half-healed. This healing-tearing cycle repeats, promoting inflammation and worsening your symptoms. Moreover, studies show that foot mobility is notably impaired in plantar fasciitis. In such cases, a massage and alternating hot and cold packs will help you improve the blood flow and promote faster healing (7).
Limping: Visible limping is linked with misaligned movements throughout the body. The weight-bearing joints in your body deteriorate faster because the weight is unstable and not properly balanced. Moreover, your body wastes extra energy. Sometimes, people limping do not realize their body movements are misaligned. A good sign is when experiencing knee, lower back, or foot and ankle pain. Correcting your arch or receiving physical therapy usually improves the problem and sometimes makes it disappear altogether.

What your brain does to adjust

Even patients with severe foot problems do not often see the consequences right away. It’s because the brain activates different compensation systems to cope with foot imbalances. It’s a defensive mechanism triggered automatically to counterbalance the body and avoid falling. You’re probably familiar with these two compensation mechanisms:

Toe-grabbing: Your toes are flexed unconsciously as if grabbing the soil. You will probably notice this movement when lifting heavy weights in the gym.
Body tilting: Also, when lifting weights, your body tends to tilt to the opposite side. It is also a counterbalance or compensation mechanism.

Compensation systems can be helpful when you need to balance your weight. They also prevent falls if your feet have alignment issues. But they don’t provide a real solution.

Moreover, living with your compensation systems activated will put extra weight on other articulations which are not prepared for it. This increases the wear and tear in the knee, which starts to move out of place (8).

Is there anything you can do?

A man-made machine usually needs three elements to operate correctly: a source of energy, alignment, and movement. The human body is very similar.

Likewise, to correct these problems, the human body needs:

A healthy source of energy that comes from nutrition.
Exercise to prevent stiffness and muscle malfunction.
Correcting any foot misalignment and soft tissue problems

Don’t wait for symptoms to start caring for your feet. Remember that compensation systems can fool your body for a very long time.

Foot problems which includes foot and ankle pain can affect your physical performance or increase your risk of falls, but it’s never too late to look for a professional stretch therapist who can provide a real fix to the problem.

References:

Cham, R., & Redfern, M. S. (2001). Effect of flooring on standing comfort and fatigue. Human factors, 43(3), 381-391.
Jefferson, J. R. (2013). The effect of cushioning insoles on back and lower extremity pain in an industrial setting. Workplace health & safety, 61(10), 451-457.
Oliveira, B., Silva, A., Ludtke, D., Madeira, F., Medeiros, G., Parreira, R., ... & Martins, D. (2017). Foot reflexotherapy induces analgesia in elderly individuals with low back pain: a randomized, double-blind, controlled pilot study. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine, 2017.
Tourillon, R., Gojanovic, B., & Fourchet, F. (2019). How to evaluate and improve foot strength in athletes: an update. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 46.
Fatone, S., Johnson, W. B., & Kwak, S. (2016). Using a three-dimensional model of the Ankle–Foot Orthosis/leg to explore the effects of combinations of axis misalignments. Prosthetics and orthotics international, 40(2), 247-252.
Uzunova, A., Mollova, K., & Bekir, N. (2020). The flat foot - Causes and consequences. Knowledge-International Journal, 43(4), 799-802.
Sahin, N., Ozturk, A., & Atici, T. (2010). Foot mobility and plantar fascia elasticity in patients with plantar fasciitis. Acta orthopaedica et traumatologica turcica, 44(5), 385-391.
Zafar, A. Q., Zamani, R., & Akrami, M. (2020). The effectiveness of foot orthoses in the treatment of medial knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review. Gait & posture, 76, 238-251.

Understanding Foot Health: How to Prevent Foot and Ankle Pain