Best Foot Forward

Our feet are more than just those weird looking and sometimes stinky parts of the body that we use to walk, run and jump. In fact, our feet provide balance, stability, and give our bodies the ability to absorb force from the ground with each step. This spans all the way from simply going up a flight of stairs, to the effort needed to kick a soccer ball. Studies show the average person walks 100,000 miles in their lifetime and athletes often double this amount. No wonder our backs and hips hurt after long periods of walking or running!  

With the foot being the closest part of the body to the ground, it is extremely important that we take care of our feet and ankles. Many of us know that awful feeling of rolling an ankle off a curb or stubbing a toe on the dining room table. It hurts, and it can sometimes take weeks or even months for us to feel “normal” again.

Think about it this way, when we hurt our feet or ankles, we can sometimes change the way we walk to avoid pain. When we change the way we walk, we can actually be hurting other parts of the body in the process by overcompensating so as not to put too much weight on the impacted foot or ankle. Our bodies naturally adapt to complete the tasks in front of us, but when those adaptations become permanent habits, we never return back to our “normal” way of walking or performing other feet focused tasks. Soon enough, we start feeling pain in our knees, then hips, and maybe even our backs!

If you are suffering from foot and ankle pain, the team at Orthopedic ONE can help! To learn more about common foot and ankle concerns and for a list of our Foot & Ankle specialists, click here. You can also discuss your foot or ankle pain with one of our Certified Athletic Trainers through our Sports Medicine Hotline.

Being proactive at the onset of injury can save you from future trips to the clinic and other, potentially worse problems down the road!