“Muscles behave in a similar way to a spring. They resist deformation which results from internal or external joint loading and tend to return to their original position following lengthening. ‘Muscle Stiffness’ which is a quality reflecting the ratio of force change to length change in a muscle, is a term to describe the spring-like qualities of the muscle. Thus when a muscle has high stiffness, increased force is required to cause lengthening of the muscle.” — Excerpt from Therapeutic Exercise for Spinal Segmental Stabilization in Low Back Pain
A muscle(s) has to be able to contract at the right time, in the right plane and at the right joint(s) in order for you to be efficient.
The ground, gravity and momentum will take care of the rest.
(Optimal Stiffness)
You can not look at pain and degenerative changes at the knee without exploring the mechanics of the foot *and* hip first.
Pronation is a combination of motions throughout the foot that have to occur at the right time, in the right plane and at the right joint in order to set the system up for success.
Your foot is the support (foundation), your knees are the bridge and your hips are the suspension.
When the foot can pronate successfully, you increase your chances of supinating *or* overcoming gravity successfully.
*Your* brain knows that you have to get to your big toe.
It also knows that your knee will react, absorb *and* dissipate force much more efficiently when you land on your forefoot/midfoot first.
Try running in your barefeet on the cement *and* I guarantee you will not land on your heel first.
(Principles)
It is not only about the pain that you will experience when you strike your heel on the cement repetitively…it’s about efficiency.
Ultimately, it comes down to…
How fast can you get to your big toe?
(Boing)
Your feet are your foundation *and* connection to planet Earth.
Photograph by Natalie Harding
(Proprioception)
You and I have a bone in the foot (talus) that sits on top of the heel (calcaneus) like a hat.
Wherever your heel goes, your talus follows.
When your heel and talus are in an environment that allows them to move naturally, the lower leg follows the talus at the ankle joint.
The foot and the lower leg are *free* to collapse naturally, e.g., Pronation.
*Imagine* the lower leg rotating in as the leg and the rest of the body come over the foot.
Your knee and the entire chain love transverse plane motion, e.g., Rotation.
Interlude:
When you open any door in your house, the door is moving in the transverse plane around a vertical axis, e.g., Rotation.
Imagine taking that vertical axis and placing it at any joint that allows for motion in that plane, e.g., Your knee.
In other words, the joint structure determines the function of a joint.
(Biomechanics)
Why would anyone want to bring the ground to the foot, when they can bring the foot to the ground?
A stability shoe not only limits normal motion at the subtalar joint, it also limits natural motion of the lower leg at the ankle joint and the knee joint, e.g., Rotation.
When the stability shoe limits your foot’s ability to go through all of the necessary components of pronation, it is also limiting your body’s ability to supinate or overcome gravity.
In order for you to be an efficient shock absorber, your foot has to have the freedom to take advantage of all three planes of motion.
Your neuromuscular (fascial) system is 3-5 time *stronger* in the loading (pronation) phase than it is in the unloading (supination) phase.
In other words, a stability shoe makes you weaker, less efficient *and* more susceptible to an injury long-term.
(Prevention)
SHIP.
(Art)
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