Page 50 - March-2015-Life-in-Naples-Magazine

HEALTH & FITNESS PROPER

FOOT ATTIRE

TO SUPPORT YOU

by Paula Allia W hat do you do when it is time to of us started out this way, over the years of wearing of
PT, DHSc, MTC, OCS buy new sneakers or walking shoes? unsupported shoes and not working all of the muscles
Do you pick the shoe because of of the foot on varied terrain, we have lost some of
“If you its color, style, or comfort? What our support. Perhaps your shoe size may have even
already should you be looking for exactly? What kind of feet increased over the years. This could be because the
have foot do you have? arch is dropped into what we call a pronated position.
problems There are varying degrees of this and if not supported,
then you Feet are very complicated structures. When the the knee or hip may have to compensate.
definitely normal foot hits the ground, it has to control motion
should treat and transfer the weight of the body, adapting to the Choosing the right shoe for you is pertinent.
surface under the foot.This means that the foot works Many people that do not have any foot pain don’t
your feet differently on a hard versus a soft giving surface even think about the choices. The choice tends to be
kindly to and different still when walking on a treadmill. In more about fashion but it is time to be smart and
avoid the addition, each joint in the leg has a job to do in gait become educated on the type of foot that you have.
problems and if one joint is not working properly the others It is best to keep your feet protected and supported
from getting have to compensate. and avoid developing foot issues. Abnormal pressures
create callous formation on the toes, back of the heel,
”worse. Normally in a shoe or sneaker, when the foot and different areas on the bottom of the foot. If you
first hits the ground, the neuromuscular system of already have foot problems then you definitely should
Fitness Together the body works at heel strike to control the foot in a treat your feet kindly to avoid the problems from
335 14th Ave South stable position.The muscle that isometrically controls getting worse. Wear proper support versus sandals
Naples, FL 34102 the strike then works to decelerate the foot and allow when walking or exercising.
239.263.9348 the transfer of the body weight from the back of the
foot to the mid foot (arch area). Ultimately weight In choosing a shoe, you need to find out what
FitnessTogether.com/Naples then moves forward through forefoot where push- your normal arch is and how that arch adapts in
off occurs and the foot leaves the ground. Sandals do walking and/or running. Then you decide if you need
not allow you to even use this normal gait pattern, a sneaker to support you as 1) an overpronator or 2)
especially is they are of the open back type so the a supinator or if you tend to have a medium arch
transfer of weight in a sandal cannot depend upon a that adapts quite normally to what is expected as you
stable heel position. transfer your weight. There are shoes to help provide
the control that you need and some brands have even
The position of the heel, the arch and the control more control than others.
through the midfoot and the forefoot together work
to control, decelerate, and accelerate to propel you to If you wear an orthotic, then consider wearing a
your very next step. Depending upon the structures of neutral stability shoe. You would then slide
your foot, it is harder for some to perform stepping your orthotic into the shoe to give the
in an energy efficient manner more than shoe your correctional needs. If you walk
others. The ideal would be a medium or run outside and on a treadmill, you
arch with good supporting should consider having a different shoe
structures for each part of the for each. Shoes wear differently.
foot so that the transfer of Take care of your feet by
weight occurs naturally choosing the right shoe type
and without the midfoot for the right activity.
overcompensating For further information
by the arch you may call Paula at
area dropping 239.263.9348 or email
e x c e s s i v e l y. paulaallia@mac.com.
Though some

50 Life in Naples | March 2015