Posture versus Foot Alignment
Posture is directly related to weight distribution in the feet!
If the feet roll in, or over-pronate, the knees are placed under stress because of the misalignment. Likewise, if the feet roll out, the knees take strain. The body may cope for many years, but sooner or later a knee problem develops. Or the misalignment has a knock-on effect, causing the pelvis to tilt and so becomes a hip problem.
Surgically addressing knee and hip problems is all very well, but little attention is paid to the fact that the same two misaligned feet carry the mended structure. Hence the misalignment continues to cause excessive wear and tear on the knee and hip joints.
Continued misalignment of the feet and lower limbs, may lead to chronic back pain. Tension in the lower back may also be the direct result of too much weight being concentrated on the calcaneus, or heel bone. The spine is stressed by having to compensate for weight being unevenly distributed in the feet, which are the foundation of the body.
Similarly forefoot pressure may lead to a forward inclination of the upper torso – the body’s way of balancing out the uneven weight spread and irregular plumb line – causing neck and shoulder tension.
Requirements for Good Posture
Good posture depends on a good foundation – the feet.
A well balanced foot means:
- Even weight spread
- Central alignment
- A perfect center of gravity
How can this be achieved?
Excessive pressure on the forefoot and heel must be transferred to the arch in the mid-foot. Excessive lateral movement must be contained by support and counter-support in the mid-foot. When both the above are effected, there will be a perfect center of gravity.
Supporting one or two of the three arches in the feet, will not achieve this balance. All three arches must be supported simultaneously and in the correct ratios. Support of the metatarsal, (transverse) arch, is only possible in a flexible material. Rigid materials will be intolerable and prevent comfortable forefoot roll off.
Step Forward’s Soft Step® Foot Correctors comply with all the requirements for comfortable, dynamic, three arch support and provide the perfect foundation for stress free, balanced posture.
Walk tall and relieve your knee, hip, back and neck pain today. See our website for details.