Have you ever wearily returned from a hard day at work to discover that you ache all over? Do you find that not only your feet hurt but also your lower back? Have you now started to complain of knee or hip pain that has no particular reason for its onset?

How can your feet affect your knees, hips and spine?

Your feet are composed of bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves and blood vessels. The surrounding ligaments and muscles provide support for all the joints of the foot and ankle. They also stabilise the foot while walking. Most importantly for the knee, a hip, spine and pelvis, the foot absorbs shock. Both the foot and ankle must provide shock absorption while at the same time balance the body. They must be able to adapt to varying terrain. They support your body weight and make it possible to walk, run, stand and jump. Therefore, dysfunction at the feet may have serious, consequences for other neighbouring joints and the entire spine.

What causes foot problems?

Foot pain can be due to inappropriate footwear, which lacks support or due to ill-fitting shoes. Any injury especially to the hip, knee, foot or ankle that results in an inability to walk correctly or that results in a limp will also have consequences for the entire spine. Sports injuries, stress fractures to the bones in the foot and recreational overuse can result in compensation in the knee, hip, spine and pelvis.

How can foot problems endanger other regions of the body?

Foot pain can cause you to modify the way you walk, which in turn, places significant stresses on the knees, hips, spine and pelvis. Your body has to compensate and this can lead to limited movement in other regions of the skeleton. Some of the more common problems seen in practice include: plantar fascitis; hallux valgus; pain under the metatarsal joints; heel spur; arch collapse; Achilles tendonitis; recurrent ankle sprain and shin splints.   

Absolutely anybody can suffer from foot disorders during the course of their lifetime. Overweight individuals, diabetics, gymnasts, athletes and dancers are more susceptible to foot problems as they place huge demands on their feet.
Gymnasts and dancers are prone to stress fractures and ligamentous/muscular sprain/strain injuries due to their extreme flexibility and ability to move their joints beyond their normal range of motion. Athletic patients must examine the wearing pattern on their training shoes as this may provide clues to various foot deformities. Excessive wear on the outside heel, together with a caved-in appearance of the inside of the shoe would suggest pes planus, or more commonly known as fallen arches/flat foot. The shoe should also be checked for flexibility and shock absorption. The fit of the shoe is also important as it must provide support to the arches and allow sufficient toe room.

What is chiropractic?

Chiropractic is the third largest healthcare profession in the western world after medicine and dentistry. The word “chiropractic” is derived from the classical greek and means “done by hand”, or manipulation. Chiropractors specialise in diagnosing and treating disorders of joints, muscles, bones, ligaments and tendons. They pay attention to the spine, as its close relationship to the nervous system can result in head, arm, and trunk and leg pain, numbness or pins and needles.

Orthotics (shoe inserts)

If you are plagued by recurrent foot pain and/or dysfunction, you should consult a chiropractor. Your chosen chiropractor will take a thorough case history; employ a vast number of orthopaedic and neurological diagnostic tests; assess your gait and examine the range of movement in the joints of your feet and ankles.
By employing such a thorough investigation of your foot complaint your chiropractor will identify what is causing your pain and determine the best method of treatment. Your chiropractor will also examine your knees, hips and spine, which may have been affected by your foot complaint. Chiropractors have experience in relieving such pain and preventing it from causing even more problems in other areas of your body.

How can chiropractic help?

Your chiropractor may recommend orthotics to help solve some of your foot problems. Custom-made, flexilile orthotics may be employed in addition to foot and spinal adjustments and prescribed exercise. The need for orthotics is most crucial for patients with knee, foot or ankle disorders that impact on their spine or pelvis. The use of orthotics will often complement and improve the chiropractic adjustment, while assisting the body to return to an improved state of function and health.