Your shoes and your spine may seem like two completely unrelated things, but believe it or not, there are connections. Not only can the type of shoes you wear affect your posture and spine, but how your shoes wear out may be an indication of misalignments of the spine, legs, and/or feet. In this post we will briefly review some features of a ‘good’ shoe and things to watch for to see if you need to be checked by a chiropractor.
What Shoes Are Best?
The short answer is shoes that are comfortable and allow you to maintain proper alignment of the body. Now there really isn’t one answer that is right for everyone because we are all different. However, there are two main views about the best shoes: shoes that support all the major structures of the feet and a minimalist view with little to no support offered by the shoe. Both views hold merit and I know people that have been helped by both methods.
The more traditional view holds that the foot is best able to function when there is adequate support for the arches of the foot and the shoe helps to cushion and reduce the forces placed on the foot, therefore decreasing injuries. From the traditional view, a shoe should have a few general features. It should offer support for the arch of the foot and this can vary person to person. The shoe should also attach securely to the foot. Having all the support in the world doesn’t do any good if it doesn’t stay where it is supposed to. The shoe should be made of material that will absorb some of the force of walking/running. It should also have sufficient space in the toe box so the toes do not become cramped which can lead to pain and other problems.
The minimalist view considers that a shoe with little or no support causes the muscles and ligaments of the foot to be strengthened. It also allows for better ‘sense’ of foot position and response to the terrain you are on, therefore decreasing injuries. One word of caution if you want to try a minimalist shoe, go very gradually to allow the foot to get used to it. Switching too quickly can lead to pain and a variety of problems.
What to Watch For
A shoe or foot that supports the body can help with many pain problems. But what if the problem is not due to needing support but from a misalignment in the foot, leg, or spine? Well here are some things to watch for to see if you need to be checked by a chiropractor. The biggest thing to watch for is uneven wear of shoes. This is a telltale sign that there is an imbalance somewhere in the body. It is normal to have shoes wear out in a typical pattern with the most wear on the sole at the heel, the ball of the foot and at the big toe because these areas get the most forces during normal walking. The heel is typically the first to strike the ground when taking a step and the outside of the heel tends to wear a little more because there is naturally a little outward angle to the foot. The ball and big toe area wears more because this is where we push off when walking. Wear patterns different from this should be evaluated.
Chiropractic can help locate and correct misalignments or restrictions in the foot, leg, or spine that may alter the way we walk. Regular chiropractic care can help keep you feeling and moving at your best, as well as increasing the body’s ability to heal. So check your shoes and the shoes of loved ones and see if the wear patterns indicate the need to be checked by the chiropractor.
