The feet provide the foundation for the body, and any problems or injuries affecting them can influence our posture, preventing the body from maintaining proper alignment and balance.
For years, we have known that the way we walk and the use of inappropriate footwear can lead to injuries. We often overlook the way we walk, step or run, even though these factors can have a direct impact on our health.
It affects the muscular and musculoskeletal systems, including the knees, hips, spine and ankles. For this reason, proper foot posture helps distribute body weight evenly and maintain overall balance.
Therefore, correct or efficient posture is one in which all parts of the body are properly aligned at the joints, helping to prevent the build-up of tension, pain, muscle fatigue and physical discomfort.
Body posture refers to the position of different parts of the body, such as the head, limbs and trunk. More specifically, it can be defined as the balanced and symmetrical alignment of the body’s segments in relation to the axis of gravity.
Good posture helps prevent musculoskeletal injuries and improves a person’s overall appearance. Therefore, any physiological alteration can have a significant impact on our body.
Since the feet are the foundation of the body, they have a significant influence on our overall posture. Our feet also allow us to perform a wide range of complex movements while standing.
The part of the sole that is not in contact with the ground does not bear the body’s weight, while the areas of the foot that are in contact with the ground support and distribute our weight when standing, walking, running or jumping.
When walking, the impact on the sole of the foot can reach approximately two to three times our body weight. When running or jumping, this impact can increase to approximately four to five times our body weight.
For example, the heel of a person weighing around 80 kg can withstand forces equivalent to approximately 300 kg while walking. When that same person jumps, the forces acting on the heel can increase considerably, potentially reaching much higher levels.
Each person has their own unique way of standing and walking, so it is important to understand the physiological, anatomical, biomechanical and functional characteristics of our feet in order to improve posture.
When there is a biomechanical alteration in the way we step, it can affect structures of the foot such as the joints, tendons, muscles, ligaments and ankle. It can also contribute to increased stress on other joints, potentially causing significant pain in areas such as the hips, knees, back and neck as a result of postural imbalances originating in the feet.
The most important postural sensors are:
- The feet.
- The eyes.
- The inner ear.
- The skin and the masticatory system.
In this case, the feet play a particularly important role, as the postural system receives proprioceptive and exteroceptive information to help maintain body balance and posture. At the same time, the morphology of the foot and the way it contacts the ground can influence overall body alignment, including the position of the spine.
Therefore, we can say that the feet provide a great deal of sensory information, including proprioceptive input from the muscles and joints of the foot and ankle, as well as cutaneous exteroceptive information from the sole of the foot, which contains numerous pressure receptors.
These receptors help the body adjust and distribute its weight in relation to the other parts of the body by detecting pressure across the skin on the soles of the feet.
In other words, if these receptors are not functioning properly, body posture may be affected, potentially contributing to pain in other areas of the body, such as the lower back or neck.
The foot is the first link in the kinetic chain and acts as a stabilizing unit for the rest of the body during walking through its contact with the ground, demonstrating its ability to adapt and remain flexible.
This makes the feet the first structures to receive and transmit tension, compression and impact, while also providing the essential base of support for the entire body.
A proper gait helps distribute body weight evenly and efficiently across the feet. Walking correctly can significantly improve overall comfort, mobility and quality of life.
Wearing comfortable, appropriate footwear and visiting a podiatrist regularly can also help prevent injuries.
Improve your posture this way.
- Muscle strengthening and exercise. These help improve mobility, balance and strength while promoting better posture. One simple exercise is to practise picking up a towel with your toes.
- Understand and maintain proper body alignment.
- Use of custom insoles designed to correct gait and foot posture.
- Have an annual gait and foot assessment. This helps identify which areas of the feet are under the greatest pressure when standing, how the feet support the body while walking, and any changes or alterations in gait, foot posture and overall body alignment.
Maintaining correct body posture is complex, as it is influenced by several factors, with gait and foot function playing an important role.
Contact us for advice on your gait and foot posture so we can recommend the treatment best suited to your needs.
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For any inquiries, the Pie Vital team will be happy to answer your questions at the clinic with our specialized professionals.
SOURCES: raulromero.com, aparatosortopédicos.com, lopezdoriga.com, piedica.com, tupisadamagicfeet.blogspot.com.