Shore Beauty and Health Magazine
We all remember that wonderful free feeling of running around barefoot as children, feeling the grass and beach sand under our feet. Yet all the man-made terrain surrounding us in today's living environment obliges modern road runners to wear dedicated shoes to protect and support their feet.
All those rigid, non-flexible flat surfaces can place abnormal strain on runners' feet, which also affects other areas of the body. This is because all the systems that make up the human body are interconnected, with movements linked by a biomechanical kinetic chain. So any abnormal movements in one area of the body can interfere with another area.
As youngsters run around barefoot, they tend to develop very strong connective tissues in their feet and lower limbs. Sadly, as we grow up and hardly ever run without shoes, our connective tissues lose that strength and battle to cope with the extreme shock and localised pressures of road running.
When walking on the beach or on any other flexible surface, our feet sink in, resulting in an even pressure distribution to most parts of the underside of the foot. There are sensory "mechanoreceptors" in our feet that communicate to the brain exactly what kind of surface we're walking on, allowing the body to compensate accordingly. Conversely, when we walk on hard, flat surfaces and in shoes, our feet aren't able to communicate much of this information and the result is impeded
balance and poor muscle response.
Did you know that prior to the early 1800's shoes were neither left nor right? People just put them on randomly and even interchanged left and right to get further life
from their shoes! The idea of dedicated left and right shoes only came into play later in that century.
In the present day, the running shoe market has boomed and with it, a new style of running. We call it the heel strike, rather than the mid-foot strike of the barefoot runner. The faster we run, the less heel strike and the more mid-foot strike
takes place.
So how do we manage to keep our feet in a healthy position? The answer lies in returning to the barefoot running dynamics of our ancestors. Imagine the comfort of feeling beach sand under every step you run -- while wearing your running shoes!
Shore Orthotics has innovated the top surface of its foot orthotics to match that beach sand feeling -- and then matched the bottom of the foot orthotic to the flat surface of the tar seal. Using this unique model, runners can heel strike or mid-foot strike without experiencing discomfort or damaging their feet.
FSG Foot Orthotics balance out the foot's reactions to a hard, flat surface and allow runners' feet to move as if they were walking or running over beach sand. They've succeeded in imitating the barefoot feeling with foot orthotics that contour to the foot -- just like beach sand -- with both their soft and rigid foot orthotics.
This article was published in the January 2011 issue of Shore Health and Beauty Magazine. Shore Beauty & Health magazine is poised to become a North Shore favourite among women of all ages, packed with a spectrum of useful and practical information from health and wellbeing, to beauty and longevity.
All those rigid, non-flexible flat surfaces can place abnormal strain on runners' feet, which also affects other areas of the body. This is because all the systems that make up the human body are interconnected, with movements linked by a biomechanical kinetic chain. So any abnormal movements in one area of the body can interfere with another area.
As youngsters run around barefoot, they tend to develop very strong connective tissues in their feet and lower limbs. Sadly, as we grow up and hardly ever run without shoes, our connective tissues lose that strength and battle to cope with the extreme shock and localised pressures of road running.
When walking on the beach or on any other flexible surface, our feet sink in, resulting in an even pressure distribution to most parts of the underside of the foot. There are sensory "mechanoreceptors" in our feet that communicate to the brain exactly what kind of surface we're walking on, allowing the body to compensate accordingly. Conversely, when we walk on hard, flat surfaces and in shoes, our feet aren't able to communicate much of this information and the result is impeded
balance and poor muscle response.
Did you know that prior to the early 1800's shoes were neither left nor right? People just put them on randomly and even interchanged left and right to get further life
from their shoes! The idea of dedicated left and right shoes only came into play later in that century.
In the present day, the running shoe market has boomed and with it, a new style of running. We call it the heel strike, rather than the mid-foot strike of the barefoot runner. The faster we run, the less heel strike and the more mid-foot strike
takes place.
So how do we manage to keep our feet in a healthy position? The answer lies in returning to the barefoot running dynamics of our ancestors. Imagine the comfort of feeling beach sand under every step you run -- while wearing your running shoes!
Shore Orthotics has innovated the top surface of its foot orthotics to match that beach sand feeling -- and then matched the bottom of the foot orthotic to the flat surface of the tar seal. Using this unique model, runners can heel strike or mid-foot strike without experiencing discomfort or damaging their feet.
FSG Foot Orthotics balance out the foot's reactions to a hard, flat surface and allow runners' feet to move as if they were walking or running over beach sand. They've succeeded in imitating the barefoot feeling with foot orthotics that contour to the foot -- just like beach sand -- with both their soft and rigid foot orthotics.
This article was published in the January 2011 issue of Shore Health and Beauty Magazine. Shore Beauty & Health magazine is poised to become a North Shore favourite among women of all ages, packed with a spectrum of useful and practical information from health and wellbeing, to beauty and longevity.
Call (09) 479 3874 to book an initial assessment or emailinfo@shoreorthotics.co.nz and one of our Orthotic specialists will be in touch with you shortly.