What Do My Feet Have To Do With Posture
You may be thinking “Ok, I get why slouching and not using my core can affect my posture- but wtf do my feet have to do with it?”
There’s no such thing as “spot training” because of the concept of the kinetic chain. The kinetic chain is the interconnected segments (muscles, joints, and the place where they connect to the spine etc;) connected through interlocking joints that causes a movement to inform the reaction of other joints within that kinetic link- like a domino effect, kinda. Each muscle is part of a greater system through direct attachment or through it’s fascial sling. (Fascia is the connective tissue that encases and gives shape to your muscles, nerves, organs etc. If you’ve ever bought raw meat at the grocery store and seen a chicken with a film of white netting type “material” over it- that’s that chicken’s fascia you’re looking at!)
Because of this, when your feet pronate (in your gait, your weight is more on the inner edge of the foot) or supinate (in your gait, your weight is more on the outer edge) or if you have structural thing happening with your foot- like mega high ballerina arches (these are pretty, yes, but ask a dancer how much trouble they give them) or flat feet with a weakened arch, it directly affects the muscles up your leg by encouraging improper twisting and compensating, and the joints of your ankles, knees, and hips. Tight hips can pull the ASIS (anterior superior iliac crest), or the very front points of your pelvis, to get pulled forward, which in turn compresses your low back, and stops you from using your core and so on. See? That’s the kinetic chain in action.
Don’t panic- pronating and supinating are super normal and a little awareness, proper shoes (flip flops are literally your kryptonite), and some love in the form of myofascial release work can help set a strong foundation for the rest of your joints that can even help to ease other issues like pelvic floor dysfunction or poor core firing (which’ll def stop you from healing diastasis).
Myofascial release can help your feet to come into better alignment because it helps alleviate tension in the arch of the foot. I have major supination too, so check out this video I made demonstrating some easy release work to give yourself- these are ESPECIALLY useful after wearing heels or even just a day of heavy walking or running. A pro- tip my PT gave me when I was recovery from 3 stress fractures in my left foot, in lieu of a massage ball, if you don’t have one, is to get a Gatorade bottle (or any bottle with ridge in the body), fill with water, freeze, and roll your foot over that. The ridges act as “trigger points” and the ice helps to relieve inflammation. It rocks. I wrote about your feeties even more over on MindBodyGreen- so if your curiosity is now piqued, have a gander!
For both more pain relievers, check out the Release and Restore Collection and to keep developing your best posture, get into the Proud Posture Collection over on Helen Phelan Studio! Pssst: It’s free for the first 10 days if you’re not already a member!