Your Feet Hold the Key to Your Body's Alignment
By Sara Butler
Feet are woefully neglected by most people. Think about it - when was the last time you really thought about your feet? It’s likely you’ve not thought of your feet and how they impact your life in a while, yet they are the foundation of everything you do – literally! Every time you take a step your feet absorb hundreds of pounds of force, maybe thousands depending on what you’re doing. Feet are really important, and if you’re looking for clues as to which muscles might need strengthening or stretching in your lower body then your feet are the first things you should look to!
Foot Problems
Maybe you’ve been told you have flat feet or high arches at some point in your life. Feet can cause issues but most of the time the true problems lies in the strength of muscles and joints above the feet. When you work at strengthening your knees and your hips, your feet will more than likely fall into line, helping to give you a more solid foundation.
What About High or Low Arches?
Everyone’s feet and arches are a bit different. In general, if you have feet that are excessively flat or feet with excessively high arches it could be an indication of a problem with your hips. Low arches can mean your hips are rotating in, which is more common with women because their hips are wider.
If you’re curious about how your hips may be rotating, you just have to look at your knees. If your hips are rotating in, then you knees will be pointing in toward one another. This can cause your ankles, feet, and lower legs to turn in and your arches to be flat. You may want to consider strengthening your glutes to help with flat feet since that muscle group is responsible for turning your hips out.
If you have high arches it might be because your hips are turning out. If you have tight leg muscles then it might be why you have higher arches in your feet. Think about stretching out your hamstrings and your glutes in order to help with this issue. Also, focus on the adductor muscles in your leg; they’re the muscles that pull your legs in on the inside of your thigh.
If you’re concerned about the alignment of your lower body and possible problems with it, you should talk to your chiropractor. Don’t forget, chiropractors at The Joint Chiropractic are experts in body mechanics and can help you to figure out what may be causing your alignment issues!