Issue #5

2000

By Nick Case M.S.S. Ch., M.B., Ch.A.

Much foot pain can be and is caused by the way we walk, let alone the shoes we wear. Orthotics can prove to be the answer to many a painful foot problem, backache, and even headache!

What are Orthotics? They are inserts put into your shoes, made up from impressions of your feet, to straighten and correct the alignment and way in which your feet work. The name Orthotic is taken from the Greek word Ortho, which means straight, right or true.

Our feet were invented long before the coming of Tar, Macadam and Concrete. They have evolved to enable us to walk over rough and uneven surfaces, think of walking over a ploughed field or through a forest. They are incredible pieces of engineering being a combination of both suspension and propulsion units. To achieve this end when we are walking or running the foot that is clear of the ground is quite limp and remains so as it comes down, so it can within certain limitations, form to the shape of the ground that it lands on. Then as one moves forward the foot rolls, stiffens and locks into what is known as the “Toe off position” this is when the foot becomes part of the propulsion action of the body.

One of the more frequent problems people have is that the “locking” of the foot occurs late and as a result the foot tends to crumple under, forcing the Big Toe outward against the other toes. This leads to a lot of pressure on the side of the Big Toe, and a site for the build up of hard skin or callous as Mother Nature tries to protect the underlying tissue. If this continual pressure is not relieved, gradually the Big Toe Joint becomes deformed and can lead to what is known as a Bunion.

It used to be claimed that Bunions were caused by badly fitting shoes, this is partly true. Rather like eyesight, we can be born with perfectly good eyes, but we can mess them up, by (for example) doing a lot of reading in poor light or watching television close up for long periods, causing damage through continuous strain. It can be the same with our feet, we can have perfectly good feet and they can be damaged by wearing ill fitting shoes constantly, specially it seems by those who follow the dictates of fashion instead of comfort. But and it is a big but, the problem is frequently a congenital one, handed down from one generation to the next, just as it can be with long or short sightedness in a family.

This was very well demonstrated to me on a visit to a Museum in Salisbury in England about three years ago. The Museum building had been recently renovated, and as a side exhibit were three pairs of 16Th Century shoes which were discovered in the old foundations, it apparently being a tradition to bury footwear in the “footings” for good luck on the commencement of building in those days. (Is this where the term footings comes from I wonder?) I digress, but the thing that I found fascinating was that two of the three pairs of shoes had been cut deliberately where a Bunion would have pressed on the side of the shoe! Demonstrating to me that even in those days when all shoes were hand made and many people went bare foot in their youth, Bunions were very much part of life as they are today and I doubt very much that they were caused by fashion footwear.

Thinking of the foundations of a building, our feet are the foundation of our muscular-skeletal system and if they are not working correctly it can have a huge strain on the rest of the body. In particular the knees, hips and spine, throwing the whole system out of alignment which can even lead to giving one headaches! In our younger years usually the muscle in our feet and legs are strong enough to compensate for some of the malfunctions of the feet, so they can actually remain hidden and one is not aware of them. Athletes commonly use Orthotics to enhance their performance, as the insert in their shoes allows their feet to function more effectively, giving them more power, and of course helping to stop potential foot damage and pain. For some of us lesser mortals foot pain can come later in life as our muscles start to loose their tone and the foot starts to flatten down.

There are many problems that can be caused by ones feet malfunctioning. If you feel any discomfort, or you get pain in your feet or legs especially while or after walking, or you have a build up of hard skin on the side of your Big Toe, or any painfully inflamed joints. Then you would be well advised to go and see your locally registered Podiatrist or Chiropodist and have your feet assessed, this could be the way to save yourself from a lot of problems in the future.

Nick Case M.S.S.Ch., M.B., Ch. A. is a Foot Care Therapist, Reiki Master and Complementary Health Practitioner trained in the U.K. He can be reached at Thuna’s Wholistic Centre in Toronto.

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