Even before I became a Chiropractic Physician in Asheville NC I had a fascination with shoes.   I was very aware even as a child of how some shoes made my feet hurt.  Then I notice something strange.  When I did not wear shoes my feet felt great.  I had another problem called asphalt that got too hot to walk on during the summer.  So the shoes would go back on and foot pain would come back.  I did not have chronic pain until I started to run track. I was told by my well-meaning coaches that I needed more padding in my shoes and more support.  Since then I have suffered from a variety of foot problems from fallen arches, heel spurs, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, ankle pain, knee pain, and the list goes on.  In this process, I learned several things. Many common shoe styles are terrible for the muscles and joints of our feet.  This in turn gets transferred up the legs to our whole body.

Why do shoes have so much impact on our bodies in Asheville NC?

They change we walk, how we run, and even how we stand. This in turn can and does lead to muscle imbalances while placing abnormal stress on our feet and can lead to common back pain. Back pain from your shoes only gets worse with time.

I read that women take an average of about 5,000 steps each day, and men take about 7ooo steps daily.  Each step is either helping our feet and backs or they may be causing us foot, ankle, or knee pain, one step at a time.

When you consider what shoes were designed for in the first place it was to protect our feet from injury caused by natural elements like rocks and temperature.

If you are suffering from low back pain or other joint pain in your feet,  legs, ankles, and feet, you may want to consider the shoes you are wearing.  Have you noticed that some shoes will bring on your pain?   Start with those shoes and notice if your feet feel better when you are out of those shoes.  For many of us just not doing the things that we know hurt us would go a long way in reducing the pain and damage that we are doing to our body.  I know this is almost too logical, but it is true.

We would love to see you if you live near our Asheville NC Chiropractic office. We are located at 16 Winterwind Dr. 28803.   You can reach our office at (828) 299-4555.

Till next time,  Dr. Mathew K. Stockstad, BA, M.Div, DC