Healthy Feet & Good Shoes Are Important For Your
Overall Health
Twenty
five percent of the bones of your body are in your feet. If any of these bones
are misaligned, your entire body could be affected. You might not even feel
that you have a foot problem but it can be causing knee problems, hip or
low-back problems, shoulder and neck problems and even headaches or
stomachaches. Foot problems can also cause emotional stresses and physiological
changes in the body like adrenal stress, blood sugar, fatigue and many others.
Many doctors look to the mechanics of the foot for proper posture but there is
so much more making up the foundation that we stand, walk and run on.
Any health symptoms
that are related to foot problems will get worse as the day goes on because
your feet become more stressed as the day goes on.
Muscles
that support the shape and function of the feet are related to the adrenal glands and the bladder.
Problems with these muscles can cause foot problems and eventually deformation
of the feet can occur. “Shin splints” "Dropped Arches" or “Flat feet”
and "Plantar Fascitis" can also be caused from the muscles of the
feet not working properly.
Reflexology
of the foot has become very popular as an alternative treatment for health
problems. There are reflexes that are related to organs, glands and other parts
of the body on the bottom of the foot. The reflexology practioner will find the
reflexes that are active and use acupressure-like stimulation on these points
to treat the reflexes which in turn helps these organs, glands and body parts
to work better be adjusted back into their proper places. When the bones are
aligned properly, the reflexes on the bottom of the foot will be stimulated as
you walk.
When your foot is
working properly, you are getting automatic reflexology while you walk or run.
Misalignment of the bones of the feet also cause problems with the acupuncture meridians
that travel through the foot. Meridians are highways of energy in the body that
flow in general areas and directions. When they are blocked, by a misaligned
bone, health problems can be caused to the related organs or glands. The foot
contains meridians related to the Spleen, Liver, Stomach, Kidney, Bladder and
Gallbladder.
Problems with the
feet can send confusing information to the central nervous system which can
cause mechanical problems in the body.
The foot has many nerve receptors in it that send important information
into our central nervous system. This information is used to track where
certain parts of the body are at every moment and in what direction, how fast
they are moving and how much pressure they are receiving. Problems with the
feet can send confusing information to the central nervous system which can
cause mechanical problems in the body. As we walk, each joint of the foot sends
information to the nervous system so that it can turn on and off our muscles.
The turning on and off of the muscles allows us to walk, if they didn’t turn on
and off we would not be able to move properly. This is one way that foot
problems can cause knee, hip, neck, shoulder, jaw problems and even headaches.
If a muscle is not turning on when it is supposed to, then a muscle on the other side of the body will become too tight because the
balance is upset. When it becomes too tight, it pulls the bones out of
alignment causing problems.
Is it a good shoe?
Shoes
that are too tight will shut off your positive support mechanism which keeps
your body standing in an upright position. If the positive support mechanism is
not working properly, you will start to slouch with your shoulders and head
forward as you stand. This can cause discomfort throughout the body, even
chronic neck/back pain and will eventually cause permanent posture problems and
bone deformation.
Another
important factor for prevention and to maintain the health of your feet is
wearing good shoes. A good shoe will support the foot well and prevent injury
and deformation. A good shoe will support the foot while standing, walking or
running. There are many misconceptions about what a good shoe is. Here are
guidelines on what to look for when buying shoes:
• A
good shoe will have laces; the more eyelets the shoe has for laces the better.
The laces help the shoe to form to the foot so that the foot can work properly.
Lace-up shoes are much better to walk in than slide on or most strap on shoes.
Make sure you lace up you shoes so they are snug but not too tight. Do not wear
your lace up shoes with the laces loose because your foot will flop around in
it and cause problems.
• A
good shoe has a heel support and a firm shank to support your arch but will
still be flexible when you walk. The heel should not be higher than a medium
height.
•
Proper width and length are important. Your toes should not touch the front of
the shoe and the foot width should not hang over the side of the shoes. You
should try on or be measured for shoes at the end of the day because your feet
expand during the day due to gravity and your body weight while you are
walking. At the end of the day you can trace your bare foot on a piece of
paper. Place your shoes on top of the template and make sure that the shoe
totally covers the outline of your foot-- no lines should stick out or else
your shoe is too small.