With 26 bones, 33 joints and over 100 muscles, ligaments and tendons, your feet are incredibly complex. They serve as the foundation for your entire body — for support, balance, posture, and overall well-being. No wonder good foot health is a cornerstone for total wellness and an active lifestyle!
Everyone’s feet have things in common, but each foot is unique. The commonality is that you have three arches: one on the inside of the foot, one on the outside of the foot and one across the ball of the foot. These three arches need to function properly to allow you to move and bear weight.
Depending on the state of your arches, problems might affect your feet. For example, if your arches are too high, you have “excessive supination.” Tight shoes that put pressure on the top and ball of the foot should be avoided.
Another common arch condition is called “excessive pronation” where the arches tend to flatten out or collapse. This flattening of the arches creates stress on the ankles, the inside of the knees and even the outer hips and lower back! Once stress hits the back, it travels up the spine to your shoulders, neck and lastly, your head. Collapsing arches can lead to bunions, corns, callouses and toes that stick up or sideways.
According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, about 20% of the population have at least one foot problem every year.1 You can develop problems in your knees, hips and lower back that all stem from foot dysfunctions. Most conditions result from inflammation of the arches, tendons, heels or nerves. Foot issues can cause poor balance, improper posture and even affect some organs’ ability to function.
Here are some basic tips for Healthy Feet2:
- Wash your feet every day and dry them completely.
- Change your socks at least once a day.
- Check your feet regularly for cuts, sores, swelling, dryness, and infected toenails. Apply treatment as needed.
- Wear well-fitting, protective footwear that provides proper support. Check your shoes regularly and replace them when they’re worn out.
- If visiting a salon for nail and foot care, choose a salon that is clean and licensed by your area’s cosmetology board. Make sure the salon sterilizes instruments (such as nail clippers, scissors, and other tools) after each use.
- See a health care provider if you have ongoing pain or numbness in your feet, or cuts or sores that don’t heal.
Why do some people suffer from foot problems while others don’t? Genetics plays a part. Flat feet or excessively pronating feet are passed on from parents to their children. For example, if one parent has collapsed arches their children may inherit the condition. If both parents have it, their kids will have it.
Where your feet spend a lot of time impact their condition. Concrete and stone surfaces are hard on the feet. The rule of thumb is that the harder the surface, the more stress on the feet, especially the arches. Dirt, grass, rubber, carpeting and other soft surfaces tend to provide a cushioning effect and help reduce stress and shock to the feet.
The type of shoes you wear can make the difference between healthy feet and sore feet. Shoes that provide arch support are helpful, but there’s rarely a shoe that is created with outer arch and ball of the foot support—most only address the inner arch. For this reason, many people end up at the podiatrist and require custom-made orthotics that support all three arches of the feet. Arch supports help to stabilize and support the feet so that they can have healthy movement patterns that produce less stress on the feet.3
Much less expensive than custom orthotics are Kenko mStrides® and Kenko mSteps®. These new generation insoles are technologically advanced versions of the first product ever made and sold by Nikken. Designed to simulate the pebbly effect of walking on cobblestones, both mStrides and mSteps cushion your feet the way arch inserts do. Ferrite magnets act as magnetic field generators to help energize your feet, and the insoles are ventilated to help your feet stay cool throughout the day. You simply cut the insoles to fit your shoes. Both the mStrides and the mSteps are made with shock-absorbent materials to support being on your feet all day long. One way to decide between the two is to know whether you prefer the mSteps that are designed with bumpy nodes to produce a massage sensation or the mStrides that have a smoother finish. Many people over the years use both—mStrides during athletic pursuits and mSteps for regular daytime support. The preference is personal.
Why not make healthy foot care part of your personal Summer Challenge?
1 https://www.martinfootandankle.com/blog/how-your-feet-affect-your-whole-body.cfm
2 https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2023/03/focus-your-feet
3 https://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=1351
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