While most human beings share similar attributes – arms, legs, head, etc. – and even though when you’re walking down the street you probably don’t even take the time to distinguish one person from the next, people are all completely unique in a thousand different ways. These differences express themselves through temperament and physicality, determined by biological factors as well as external circumstances. The truth is, while many take it for granted that they cannot alter the basic behaviour that has been “programmed” into them, profound change for the better is, in fact, possible if you are determined and disciplined. One of the most important physical ways that we express our individuality is through something called PMP (Primary Movement Patterns).

Here at Feet First Clinic in Toronto and the GTA, we spend a good deal of time thinking about and analyzing PMP. Think of PMP as if it were the genetic code of how you move, the specific way that your body moves, versus how anyone else moves. It isn’t necessarily something you would think about every day, but it’s actually pretty fascinating. Your body’s de facto movement style is an expression of your biology and a reaction to your environment and how you see yourself in relation to it. It’s important to note that we are not necessarily stuck with the PMP we have developed. This is good news, because in the developed world in the 21st century, over half the population suffers back, foot or general body paint related to the way they carry themselves.

Many people who have been to several chiropractors, RMTs and acupuncture specialists for back pain will often find themselves at our clinic when they realize that the source of their physical pain may actually be quite distant from the place where they feel it. One would like to think that our bodies automatically know how to walk in a healthy fashion, but this is not the case. In the 21st century, when so many of us work at desks in cubicles, the body gets smushed into unnatural shapes that can create physical problems, thus many people need to compensate for these bad habits and retrain their bodies to avoid serious problems down the line.

To diagnose the problem and help our clients understand the root problem that causes them pain, we offer video gait analysis that records 3D video of their movement on a treadmill, allowing them clear insight into what is happening when they walk: whether the issue is pronation, locked knees, leaning back, heel striking or a confluence of things, we’ll get to the bottom of it and help you to retrain yourself while we get quality custom orthotics ready to give you the support you’ve been missing.

While our foot care specialists can provide the proper analysis, learning tools and physical support (via orthotics) to push you in the right direction, the change has to come from you. It may seem counter-intuitive to move in a way that contradicts your natural inclination, but if you really put your mind to it you can change the way you move over time. So give yourself the gift of good posture and healthy movement and shift towards a healthier life, you’ll thank us and yourself for making the extra effort.