 The most common reason for
people to have foot problems
is due to a destructive force,
an abnormal motion, in our
feet know as Pronation.
The Gait Cycle is what
the foot travels through from
the time the heel first hits the
ground, through the time the
same foot moves across the
ground then through the air, until
the heel of that same
foot strikes the ground
again. The first stage, of
the 3 stages of the Gait
Cycle is called the heel
contact stage. A certain
amount of Pronation is
absolutely needed for the
human foot to work. Pronation
makes the foot act as
a "bag of bones" (loose),
or a non-rigid lever, in order
for the foot to act as
an shock absorber when our
body weight meets the ground
thru our heel; but
more important to act as
an adaptor for the foot,
for all of the different
walking surfaces we are
on. This adaption (pronation)
is only supposed take place
for a split second, in
order for the foot to decelerate
(slow down), and to figure
out what type of walking
service it is on. When it
goes on longer than that
split second is when we
start to have a condition
known as Abnormal Pronation.
This condition in when the
foot continues to be a
"Bag of Bones" beyond the
initial heel strike stage of
gait and does not become
a rigid lever the way
it is suppose to do.
When this occurs, the foot
is put under a tremendous
amount of stress and strain
and with time results in
Bunions, Heel Spurs, Corns,
Calluses,
Ingrown Toenails, and numerous other
foot problems.
The main reason to have too much
pronation is due to the abnormal
position of your heel bone from
birth. I feel this is an
Inherited Trait, and the only
known treatment from birth would
be to pick different parents
next time.
To a lesser degree some
people believe that the height
of your heel is a factor in
the amount of abnormal pronation.
If your foot is flat, you may
tend to over pronate. If the
arch is high you will tend
to under pronate.
The treatment for abnormal pronation
is relatively simply. With an
Orthotic we are able
to control the abnormal pronator
forces in the majority of
our patients.
 Back
|