The average person takes as many as 10,000 steps per day. With this statistic in mind, try this simple foot and ankle test to check your foot and ankle stability. (Please do not attempt this test unassisted if you have a physical infirmity or condition that increases your risk of falling!) Stand and place your fingertips on the back of a chair or the wall for balance. Lift one foot slightly off the floor and keep your other foot fixed while you turn your upper body (at the waist) to the left (pause) and then to the right (pause again). Test both feet. Try it barefoot, as well as with shoes, and compare the results.
It’s normal for you to make minor corrections with your foot and ankle in order to remain balanced. If you’re rolling to the inside of your arch with excessive force however, your calf muscles are overworking to keep you upright. If your joints hurt or ache after 10 seconds of standing, you know this weakness is putting pressure on a joint. Over the course of a day, this added pressure can cause inflammation, bruising and wear and tear within the joint itself. The resulting inflammation is called arthritis. (To learn more about arthritis visit www.arthritis.ca).
Contrary to what most people believe, arthritis is not necessarily a disease. The foot has more than 30 joints. Weak muscles and/or lax ligaments may allow too much play within a joint, leading to stress on that joint’s cartilage. It is this stress on the cartilage that can eventually lead to an arthritic condition. People taking this standing balance test often discover they wobble even more when wearing their shoes.
Good balance is very important to the healthy structure of the knee, hips and back. If a person cannot balance easily when standing barefoot, the upper muscles in the body have to work harder to compensate for the foot problem. For example, people who suffer from weak ankles or fallen arches will often shift their body weight to the outside of their feet to feel more secure when walking or standing. Even those who have normal feet, but are on them for long periods of time, will find that this same process of adjusting the pressure can present with lower back pain, leg fatigue, achiness and tiredness.
A worn shoe will also add stress to the knees and hips. When wearing old footwear, we also tend to rotate and shift our upper body weight onto the outside border of the foot. This forces the hip and knee joints to work at a mechanical disadvantage—again resulting in joint pain and fatigue. The muscles that stabilize the foot and ankle are located in the calf. Their tendons extend down through the ankles and attach to the underside of your arch. Standing for prolonged periods can fatigue these muscles resulting in tired and aching legs. A “Charlie Horse” or night cramps may also occur. Proper orthotics that balance the foot and ankle, combined with Motion Control or Stability Footwear, are often recommended by Pedorthists to relieve and correct these conditions. If you routinely experience any of these symptoms, call your BioPed Footcare Centre to schedule a biomechanical evaluation.