Physical Therapist, Podiatrists, Orthopedic Surgeons and Running Shoe Store Owners are going to Hate Me after Reading this!

Physical Therapist, Podiatrists, Orthopedic Surgeons and Running Shoe Store Owners are going to hate me after reading this!

Here I go again with more feet stuff.?Some of you may be wondering why all this obsession with the foot or your feet……….

Well it all goes back to my own physical issues.?You see.?I’ve always been an athlete and at 64 years of age, I’m still competing in activities important to me….?Mostly in being heathy!

Years ago I couldn’t figure out why everything was hurting.?I had just turned 50.?I had lots of personal and business challenges going on at the time.?Which I’m sure contributed.?But, seriously why was my knee and hips driving me crazy?

There just had to be an answer!

Being an Exercise Physiologist didn’t make this any easier.?It made me feel angry.?

Why couldn’t I solve this!??

At the time I owned a rehabilitation center and employed and trained many licensed therapists.?

Many of them believed that at 50 I should just get my knee replaced!?That made me angrier!

My journey began to solve my knee pain, tight hips, muscle imbalances and terrible foot pain!

I was determined to find solutions!

Everything eventually lead me to the feet! Solving foot problems seemed to be inherently responsible for all my other issues.?Let me share with you some of my findings.

I could become shoe proof.?Yes, you heard me.?I could escape the trap that had been set by podiatrists and shoe manufacturers.?If I could strengthen my feet.?I didn’t need special shoes. Wow!

The path to becoming Pain Free began to unfold to me.?I needed to work from the bottom up.?It started with doing more barefoot work.?I began slowly and progressed to eventually being able to run 10 miles on streets and sidewalks. It was an amazing feeling.

I then incorporated a simple mobility movement that I have done daily for the past seven years.?It involves standing on a thirty-degree inclined box for two minutes.?That’s it. Simple!

Something that I found later found to be called Spring Foot.?Which involves standing, using only my toes, on the edge of a box or flat surface.?Keeping my foot neutral.?Making sure to press through my big toe. Holding for thirty seconds.

More movements were discovered that involved using my toes.?That meant pushing through my toes and not my heals.?Going against conventional wisdom. But, hey at this point I just didn’t care.?I was looking for results.?Not a gimmick.?Like expensive shoes, orthotics, braces and eventually surgery. Not happening here!

Lastly and possibly most important was developing the dorsi flexors in the lower leg.?This includes the larger anterior tibialis and other smaller but equally important dorsi flexors.?

This was accomplished by simply working on lifting the foot, dorsi flexion, while standing up.?

Then eventually adding resistance while in a seated position.?This movement was a difference maker!

Why??This was my question I kept asking myself. As I eventually discovered.?With weak feet and poor dorsi flexion.?Many imbalances will eventually travel to the pelvis and your hips.?Skipping over the knees.?Big problem.?

Now with our pelvis out of alignment.?The knee joint becomes the next target in this pain chain!?

This took me years to figure out.?And I’m supposed to be an expert.?

That has been why I have become obsessed with solving this.?Yes.?For myself first. But I knew that if I was struggling with this in my late fifties.?How many others, younger and older were being wrecked by this craziness!?

So, in summary this was my solution.

First identify the imbalances.?Find the source.?Most likely the feet.?Strengthen and lengthen those feet!

Build strength up the chain by strengthening and lengthening the dorsi flexors in your lower legs.

Lastly correct imbalances in the hips and lower back by walking backwards and doing simple back exercises that will lengthen and strengthen your lower back in flexion and extension.

I know it sounds like a lot. But if you are willing to learn simple movements.?You can avoid years of pain and injury.?And like this 64-year-old. You can reverse years of pain and injury!?

“Do not be afraid.?You can do it!” Mark 5:36