Feeling Your Feet
In my most recent podcast I have spoken about our feet and how important they are to the rest of our body. I want everyone to be more aware of how they place their feet and how they feel when they are weight bearing. Our body responds to the placement of our feet and generally we don’t pay any attention to it, but if we can be more mindful of how we move we may be able to address other issues that we experience in our body.
How we stand on a daily basis can affect the balance through the whole body
I mention one of my client’s experience of smashing his heel and the effects this had on his whole body. Even when his mobility was returning and strength was returning to the foot and ankle, he was experiencing problems elsewhere.
He had spent time with his foot in a cast and pod while it was fixing, but this had obviously affected his balance and the way his weight was being distributed through his body differently, so his body was compensating all the time. The pain he had experienced with the foot was also affecting how his brain wanted him to move.
I mention one of my client’s experience of smashing his heel and the effects this had on his whole body. Even when his mobility was returning and strength was returning to the foot and ankle, he was experiencing problems elsewhere.
He had spent time with his foot in a cast and pod while it was fixing, but this had obviously affected his balance and the way his weight was being distributed through his body differently, so his body was compensating all the time. The pain he had experienced with the foot was also affecting how his brain wanted him to move.
He experienced muscle wastage through the whole leg, his gluteals started to overwork on the opposite side from the injured ankle, and so as a result he began to experience hip pain as his gait was affected. The working leg was laterally rotating to cope with balance as he began to stand and move.
His pelvis was being pulled into a rotation which was causing lower back pain. The lateral sling of muscles were being impacted by the imbalance with movement. He was experiencing impingement on the sciatic nerve referring pain through the opposite side to the injured foot.
His foot and ankle were beginning to function, but the after effects on his body meant that his pelvis and lower back were not.
His pelvis was being pulled into a rotation which was causing lower back pain. The lateral sling of muscles were being impacted by the imbalance with movement. He was experiencing impingement on the sciatic nerve referring pain through the opposite side to the injured foot.
His foot and ankle were beginning to function, but the after effects on his body meant that his pelvis and lower back were not.
With Pilates we spent time getting the balance and strength back with movement, working with balance through the feet and challenging stability with single leg work.
We used squats, squats with heel lifts, single leg balance work with added movement through the upper body, using small hand weights to create more weight bearing for bone strength. I prescribed hip glides to focus on free movement with the quadratus lumborum doing these daily. Exercises to release the gluteals, then to strengthen them to return the balance for each side. We mobilised the sciatic nerve with muscle movement in the lower back and leg extension work. I also gave lengthening and stretching exercises for the muscles in the lower leg and in the lateral sling once the function had started to return and once the strength was improving.
This shows that the whole body can be affected by the injury and subsequent imbalance with the feet.
This was an extreme case caused by trauma, but it shows how important it is to consider working evenly and moving evenly through our feet. The effects travel to our knees, to our hips, to our pelvic floor, to our lower back, and so on and so on. As the song says — the foot bones connected to the shin bone, the shin bones connected to the knee bone …
The pelvic floor can be affected by the placement of our feet
In Pilates there is focus on balance, posture and alignment and working towards achieving free movement, more effective movement and movement with purpose. It is a problem as we age, but it is never too early to start to become more mindful of how we place our feet, and the possible consequences if we don’t.
Encourage clients to work on their balance on a daily basis, feeling the pressure points on their feet and noticing how they stand. Use a ball for mobilisation of the feet, and activating the fascia. Use single leg work to challenge balance, even if support is needed initially. Don’t ignore the whole body, use movement in the upper body to challenge balance and alignment in the lower body. Teach clients to be mindful of how they are feeling when they move and when they place their feet and encourage purposeful movement and evenness between each side of the body.
We used squats, squats with heel lifts, single leg balance work with added movement through the upper body, using small hand weights to create more weight bearing for bone strength. I prescribed hip glides to focus on free movement with the quadratus lumborum doing these daily. Exercises to release the gluteals, then to strengthen them to return the balance for each side. We mobilised the sciatic nerve with muscle movement in the lower back and leg extension work. I also gave lengthening and stretching exercises for the muscles in the lower leg and in the lateral sling once the function had started to return and once the strength was improving.
This shows that the whole body can be affected by the injury and subsequent imbalance with the feet.
This was an extreme case caused by trauma, but it shows how important it is to consider working evenly and moving evenly through our feet. The effects travel to our knees, to our hips, to our pelvic floor, to our lower back, and so on and so on. As the song says — the foot bones connected to the shin bone, the shin bones connected to the knee bone …
The pelvic floor can be affected by the placement of our feet
In Pilates there is focus on balance, posture and alignment and working towards achieving free movement, more effective movement and movement with purpose. It is a problem as we age, but it is never too early to start to become more mindful of how we place our feet, and the possible consequences if we don’t.
Encourage clients to work on their balance on a daily basis, feeling the pressure points on their feet and noticing how they stand. Use a ball for mobilisation of the feet, and activating the fascia. Use single leg work to challenge balance, even if support is needed initially. Don’t ignore the whole body, use movement in the upper body to challenge balance and alignment in the lower body. Teach clients to be mindful of how they are feeling when they move and when they place their feet and encourage purposeful movement and evenness between each side of the body.
Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet
Thich Nhat Hanh
First Class Pilates — Pilates Done Right!
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