Your Foundation: Starts at your FEET
It's been established that your feet are your foundation. It's
important your feet are structurally stable for optimally function of your
body.
 The arch of your foot, when biomechanically correct, should provide
full support when walking, running, and standing. The arch allows for shock
absorption, to conform to variable terrain, and provides leverage as it
propels the body forward onto the next step. If the arch of your foot is too
great or less then optimal it creates a poor foundation, which leads to
poor function of the foot and for the rest of your body.
What causes someone to develop a
poor foundation?
First of all, the majority of us our
arches flatten too much (flat feet) and do not re-stiffen enough for efficient
propulsion from each step to step.
About four percent of us are with high, rigid arch structures,
creating poor shock absorption and weight-bearing pressure concentrated in a
few spots.
There are a number of reasons why most of us have some degree of flat
feet, but mostly it comes down to body weight, gravity and concrete. The
first two are constantly flattening the foot down against the hard surfaces
we live on. The ligaments that support the bones of the foot get stretched
out and our arches drop. This leads to a poor foundation and leads to loss of
optimally function at the feet and then goes up to the spine.
What kind of problems result from
someone having a poor foundation?
If you are like the majority of people with some degree of arch loss,
either from birth or over time, there are some critical facts you need to
know:
Pain and deformities can arise in the
feet such as bunions, plantar fasciitis, corns, and hammertoes, etc. are usually caused by the lack of
enough arch in the foot when we are standing, walking, and running
(weight-bearing activities).
Because foot function affects the entire
chain of bones leading to the spine, pain, and dysfunction in the knee, hip
and low back often result as well. In all, there are over thirty common
diagnoses related to poor foot function.
Can
the problems be prevented or corrected with the use of Sole Supports?
Yes,
If the problem is caught early enough, pain and deformity can often be
prevented. Regular use of these unique orthotics can often reverse deformity
development or at least, prevent surgery. How? Because when you restore
normal function, you give your body what it needs to heal itself. A typical
orthotic only masks your symptoms temporarily –until further deformity makes
things worse. When you restore healthy foot function other treatment or
therapies are more effective and last longer.
What
is an orthotic?
An orthotic is a supportive device which
is placed inside footwear, to change the mechanical function of the foot. Ideally,
it should provide full, custom and corrected arch contact so that the foot
works in a biomechanically correct way.
To date, only Sole Supports manufactures full arch contract orthotics,
calibrated to flex for your weight and foot type. The reason for this is
simple: they are more difficult to make because they must actually change the
way your foot works and need to be comfortable at the same time. Other orthotics are either just cushions or
have a one-size-fits-all, poor arch support that is not customized to your
foot. These orthotics may feel fine
but, by failing to actually change foot posture and function, they will not
prevent or alleviate the usual painful deformities or syndromes.
Dr. Bryan has been certified in making custom orthotics, specifically
Sole Supports. If you feel that you
may need orthotics or want to ask questions feel free to email Dr. Bryan or
call.
P: 717-263-6101 or drbryan@fifthavechiro.com
If you like Fifth Avenue Chiropractic's BLOG and feel it is informative, feel free to pass
along the link to friends and family members.
Dr. Gary Dockery story about Sole Supports!
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Fun Foot Facts:
The foot is an intricate structure containing
26 bones. Thirty-three joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles, and tendons hold
the structure together and allow it to move in a variety of ways.
The American Podiatric Medical Association
says the average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day. Those cover
several miles, and they all add up to about 115,000 miles in a lifetime --
more than four times the circumference of the globe.
While walking, each step can exert a pressure
on your feet that exceeds your body weight and when you're running, it can be
three or four times your weight -- which adds up to a cumulative force of
over 500 tons a day. With certain sporting activities this force can go up to
7 times bodyweight.
Three out of four Americans will experience
foot health problems of varying degrees of severity at one time or another in
their lives.
Women have about four times as many foot
problems as men; lifelong patterns of wearing high heels often are the
culprit.
Your feet mirror your general health. Such
conditions as arthritis, diabetes, nerve and circulatory disorders can show
their initial symptoms in the feet. Foot ailments can be your first
sign of more serious medical problems.
About
19 percent of the US population has an average of 1.4 foot problems each
year.
Eighty percent of the population will suffer
from back pain due to a problem starting in their feet. This can be caused by
biomechanical imbalances, abnormal stresses or structural problems
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Many people are recongizing and seeking other avenues to a natural approach to healthcare- one that will help them achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. This is what Fifth Avenue Chiropractic is about.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Your Foundation: Starts at your FEET
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
What Kind of Lifestyle Are You Setting Yourself Up For?
What Kind of Lifestyle Are You Setting Yourself Up For?
I came across this article that
shows a cross-section MRI of a person's legs who's a 40 year old triathlete.
Just imagine that his thighs are cut in half: the outer white ring is
skin and fat, the inner darker part is muscle, and the leg bone is at the
center.
40 y.o. triathlete
The next picture shows a 74 year old man who's led a sedentary
lifestyle; meaning that he didn't exercise or work-out or do anything to
improve a lifestyle of health. You can see a picture of his legs below.
Check out the difference in the amount of fat and the loss of muscle in his
legs!
Now take a
look a 74 year old man who's a triathlete.
Are you seeing what I'm seeing?!
There's basically no difference between the 40 year old and the 74
year old men who are both still exercising!
The point I want to drive home,
though, is this: You don't have to be a
triathlete to make sure you achieve these same results. You just have to
do SOMETHING that is building
strength and keeping you active as you age! Not only will your body
function better, but you will be able to keep doing the things you love doing
much, much longer than people who put no effort
whatsoever into becoming healthier!
- Dr. Bryan
Monday, February 13, 2012
Naturally Reduce Pain and Fatigue Associated with Fibromyalgia
Six weeks of
whole-body vibration (Power Plate) exercise improves pain and fatigue in women
with fibromyalgia
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary
Medicine. Vol. 14(8), pp: 975-981, 2008
The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness
of a 6-week traditional exercise program with supplementary whole-body
vibration (WBV) in improving health status, physical functioning, and main
symptoms of fibromyalgia (FM) in women with FM.
Thirty-six women with FM were randomized into
3 treatment groups: exercise and vibration
(EVG), exercise (EG), and control (CG). Exercise therapy, consisting of aerobic activities,
stretching, and relaxation techniques, was performed twice a week.
Following each exercise session, the Exercise
and Vibration group underwent a protocol with Whole-Body Vibration, whereas the
Exercise group performed the same protocol without vibratory stimulus. The Fibromyalgia
Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) was administered at baseline and 6 weeks
following the initiation of the treatments.
Estimates of pain, fatigue, stiffness, and
depression were also reported using the visual analogue scale.
Results: Pain and fatigue scores were significantly reduced from
baseline in the Exercise-Vibration Group, but not in the Exercise Group or
Control Group.
In addition, the EVG showed significantly lower pain and
fatigue scores at week 6 compared to the CG, whereas no significant differences
were found between the EG and CG.
-
Dr. Bryan Staker
PS – Fifth Avenue Chiropractic, we're blessed to have Power Plate
technology in our office to help improve the health of people's lives! If
you know someone who suffering from Fibromyalgia and they're looking for a
potential solution to decreasing their pain or fatigue, please tell them about us
or forward on this blog link!
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