The following body parts aid in walking, potentially predispose you to PAIN in your ankle, knee, hip, and low back, and just so happen to reveal the most about your current emotions. Know what they are? YOUR FEET! Crazy, right?
The feet provide structural support for the pelvis and spine. When foot posture breaks down, additional stress is placed on the joints, muscles and ligaments of the pelvis, hips and knees!
An unequal amount of support from one leg results in an uneven foundation for the pelvis. If one of your feet is flatter than the other you can expect your body to hurt all over. Would you drive around your car with one flat tire?
Let’s talk about daily movements, such as the squat. I have seen quite a few people experience significant knee pain with squatting and running. This question arises every time, “Is squatting/running bad for me because of my pain?”.
I will go out on a limb here and say no. What we have to look at, however, is your actual technique and body alignment during these painful movements. Maybe you have to narrow your stance, maybe you have to evert (point the toes outward) another 5-10 degrees, maybe your feet are not maintain a proper posture. If the arches in your feet drop during a squat, the knees cave inward and create almost double the stress on the medial plateau/meniscus. This sets off an imbalance that eventually causes PAIN. Where is that pain? The knee? The ankle? The low back? The buttock?
If you are having pain during a certain movement whether it is at the gym or in your daily life, you must address it before the pain gets worse. People who have pain when running will “accept” that they just cannot run anymore. That may be the case, but I’d be willing to bet, with adjusting the technique (yes, even in running) or addressing some muscular/structural imbalances, that one can overcome fallible boundaries.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Spider