New Year, New You: Staying Active and Pain Free

It’s that time of year – everyone is creating new goals and routines encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle. With this in mind, we would like to raise awareness of what can happen if you overexert yourself and do not have the proper footwear/positioning of the body when you work out. 

There are 29 muscles in the foot that contribute to one’s alignment and movement. Without proper footwear or poor alignment you could easily injure yourself, leading to more harm than good. Wearing proper shoes designed for physical activity is a great start to minimalizing injury. 

When purchasing workout shoes, consider the weight capacity for which the shoes are designed. Many times we hear clients say they got a much cheaper price by fitting into children’s shoes. Many shoe companies design their footwear with the weight capacity and anatomy of the foot for that specific age/clientele in mind. A child’s shoe is usually designed with the arches and weight capacities for a child. They do not always have the support or durability required for an adult. 

Some individuals have a “flatter” foot. Their medial and lateral longitudinal arches may not be properly supported and therefore the arches collapse. When this happens, this creates abnormal kinematics and larger joint movements when walking. This creates a more unstable gait leading to more injuries or detriments to the joints. As a result of this instability or weakness, other muscles have to work harder which can lead to poor posture and positioning throughout the body. This can lead to knee, hip or back pain. 

Your feet are the foundation to a properly supported and aligned body. Without the proper alignment/support of your feet or the appropriate footwear designed for your body type and activity level, we are not providing a good foundation for our posture. When joints and muscles have to work harder to stay upright, we are ultimately creating more pain and problems. 

Staying active is important to our health, but please don’t forget that without proper footwear, we could be causing more harm to our body. If you have any questions or concerns about orthotic treatment or your footwear, please do not hesitate to reach out to our office.

The Custom Orthotics Team (519) 850-4721 | office@customorthoticsoflondon.com | @cool_bracing