Practicing Good Foot Posture for an Upright Life

Most of us don’t think of our posture until someone (like your Lansdale foot doctor) suggests that you may not hold yourself properly.

What is Posture?

Posture is essentially your body against gravity. It is how you hold your body upright while standing, sitting, and walking. Proper or good posture means training the body to stand, sit, and walk in positions that place the least strain on supporting muscles and ligaments during any activity.

When we think of posture, most of us immediately think of our backs, spines, and necks, which are the obvious and most visible bearers of our bodies. But it is actually our feet that bear our full weight all day long.

For that reason, our feet are our first line of defense against gravity and in support of good posture. But the vast majority of us do not pay attention to how we stand. We learn to stand as toddlers by trial and error, and any bad behaviors that develop in the process can easily be become habitual and debilitating.

It is important to correct bad foot posture, just as it is important to correct bad back posture. Just as bad back posture can lead to different kinds of soreness, pain, and constrictions, bad foot posture can also have negative consequences.

Here are some foot posture guidelines to keep in mind:

Feel Your Foot Tripod: When standing, the body should be balanced over the feet, with weight evenly distributed between them. Pelvis and spine should also be aligned. A common problem is standing with too much weight over one foot or over only part of the feet.

When standing, feel for equal pressure on your foot’s tripod—the balls of your big toes, little toes and heels. If there is more pressure on any one of these points, then your body is not in alignment.

Study Your Base of Support: Body stability is optimized when there is enough space and stability between the legs and feet—the base of the body’s support. The base of support is destabilized when this space is too narrow, such as when feet are too close together. As feet move apart, the base of support increases and stability improves.

Adjust Your Foot Position: While standing feet should be parallel and there should be at least three inches between them. Toes should be relaxed and aligned. It is also very important to keep feet arches lifted and relaxed, with slight pressure on their outside edges. This neutral position is the best way to avoid common problems like supination and pronation.

Source
AZ Central