Examining your Roots

Hello again! I hope everyone's summer is going well. It was a wonderful Fourth of July here in Chicago. Today we're going to continue with the series, Finding a Balance. Up until this point we have focused on the abstract sense of balance, that of enjoyment and work, and exercise and rest. Now we shall turn our discussion to physical balance, specifically the root of your physical structure and connection point to the ground, the foot.

Your feet and ankles contain one quarter of the bones in your body and are connected by over 30 joints. Considering that each joint has a minimum of two muscles that manipulate it; the foot is a very complex structure. Yet many of us give our feet no more thought than how they look and what to cover them with. Until they hurt, that is. If you've ever experienced foot pain or an injury, suddenly your feet became very important. Whether you recognize it or not, your nervous system understands how important your feet are.

There's an argument going on about your feet, and I think you should know about it. One side believes that the human foot has not fully adapted to walking upright. This lack of adaptation may cause a host of potential problems in the foot - fallen arches, plantar fasciitis, excessive pronation, bone spurs, etc. The more time you spend walking and running, the more likely you end up with one or more of these problems. Their solution is to correct these issues externally with technologically advanced shoes, and custom-made shoe inserts, called orthotics, which will be worn perpetually and replaced every few years. The backup to orthotics, should they fail to correct the issue, is surgery.

The other side argues that the foot itself is not the issue. The injuries and pain that occur are symptoms of misuse and deconditioning. In their view, modern footwear is just as culpable as our sedentary lifestyle is. They say that shoe design and purpose changed with the advent of modern manufacturing and marketing practices. What was once a custom-fitted item has become mass-produced, and therefore ill-fitting for the vast majority. Whereas before there was a flat-bottomed protector of the toes and underside of the foot, there is now a cushioned and heel-raised fashion accessory that encourages harder and harder impacts on bones and joints that have to last a lifetime. Their solution is to lose the shoes. Run and walk barefoot to keep the foot healthy and strong.

Unfortunately, it seems that we can't all get along. The problem is that both sides are partially correct. More accurately, both sides are correct under certain circumstances. The barefoot enthusiasts champion the healthy feet of Kenyan marathoners that never wore shoes as children. But this approach can be dangerous for someone whose only barefoot experiences are in the shower and on the beach. The modernists back up their claims with people suffering from acute and chronic disorders. But this does not help people who still have reasonably strong, functional feet. And it is a bleak outlook for those who are more deconditioned, treating symptoms perpetually without addressing the cause.

It is not practical to run a long-term study to verify or refute either side. So what are we to do? For myself, and for those that I train, I recommend a practical, middle-of-the-road approach. Each of the opposing viewpoints can be beneficial, as well as detrimental, depending upon the specifics of the individual. Most importantly, everyone can benefit from examination and correction of their walking and running form; this will reduce wear and tear, thereby reducing inflammation and giving fresh life to your legs. Everyone should gradually reduce the heel-toe drop as they replace their exercise footwear, which will do wonders for the length-tension relationships of muscles in the feet and lower legs. For those who currently have an issue, orthotics reduce pain and discomfort that would otherwise limit or impede lower body exercise. Make sure you consult a professional to correct movement dysfunctions! For those who have healthy feet, a gradual shift to barefoot exercise will yield great benefits for both balance and lower leg strength and flexibility- BUT ONLY IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT. Use gym mats or the soft grass of a playing field for everything that is high impact.