Your feet are linked with your lower back through a kinetic chain. The chain starts with your feet, then continues to your ankles, your knees, your hips and then your spine. When one part of the chain is disrupted, it can have a ripple effect and agitate the other important links.
When you’re experiencing chronic lower back pain, and you’re unsure of the cause, you need to look down at your feet.
Check Your Feet for Clues
You should book an appointment at Feet First Clinic. It’s the best spot to get video gait analysis in Toronto. During the appointment, you will be filmed walking on a treadmill. The licensed chiropodist will view the footage in slow-motion and determine your gait pattern and foot type. An abnormal gait can lead to back pain because it disrupts the kinetic chain between the foot and the spine.
Your gait can be affected by a previous injury, a musculoskeletal condition or your foot pronation. Overpronation or flat feet can upset the natural gait and alignment. The term overpronation means that the arch of the foot moves downward and inward too much. On the other hand, foot supination is when the arch rolls outward too much, and it can also lead to chronic back pain.
In a single appointment, a chiropodist can spot the clues that solve the mystery of your back troubles.
Change Your Shoes
The wrong footwear will negatively impact your gait and posture. For instance, flip-flops cause back pain because they have little structure and support, so you have to clench your toes to grip the sole and keep it steady as you move. The tension will affect your arches, heels, knees, hips and back.
Other shoes that can change your gait or give you poor posture:
- Ballet flats
- High heels
- Mules
- Toe shoes
If you want to give yourself the gift of good posture and alleviate your chronic back pain, you should get rid of your problematic shoes and restock your closet with orthopaedic shoes. Feet First Clinic has stylish options for every occasion, whether it’s dressing up for a night on the town or heading to the gym to jog on the treadmill.
Get Custom Orthotics
Corrective insoles can support your arch and keep your foot in the right spot when you stand, walk and run. It’s possible to get a cheap pair of inserts in the pharmacy aisle, but they will be made for the general public. There is no guarantee they will be the right fit for your feet.
For a guaranteed fit, you can have Feet First orthotics custom-made to match the exact size and shape your foot. You can visit a chiropodist today to undergo a biomechanical assessment — this will cover aspects like weight-bearing, range of motion and muscle tightness in your feet and connecting areas.
After the assessment, the chiropodist will take a plaster casting of your foot in the subtalar joint neutral position. Then, the casting is sent to an orthotics fabrication lab. Soon enough, you can slip your custom-made corrective inserts into your shoes and take them for a test-drive — or in this case, a test-walk.
When you’re dealing with soreness in your lower back, the surprising solution could be to take better care of your feet. By dealing with the bottom of the kinetic chain, you can relieve pain at the top.
