The Foot of an Athlete

No, I'm not talking about the fungus that gets between your toes. I'm talking about the structure of the foot, the shape of the foot, the function of the foot, the comfort of the foot. Structure and shape and function and comfort while participating in sports, or just living your life.

There are 26 bones in each foot; plus a whole bunch of joints, with muscles and tendons and ligaments to hold it all together. Most shoes that are available to us - work shoes, dress shoes, running shoes, walking shoes, and even specific sports shoes - are not designed to provide arch support. The reason is simple: Your shoe size and your arch size are not necessarily the same. Much the way one guy who is 5’10" wears pants with a 32" inseam, while another person the same height wears a 34".

We live in a cement world. Well, maybe not totally cement, but we spend most of our time on hard, flat surfaces. The combination of the two - shoes that provide no support, and hard flat surfaces - mean that your feet hurt. Most people, about 87%, complain about foot pain.

So, what can you do?

Go barefoot on the soft sand, or walk barefoot in newly ploughed fields. All day, every day. That builds strong and flexible feet and legs, and improves circulation.

Unfortunately, we just can't do that. There are, however, a lot of things that we can do. We can make sure that shoes fit. How long has it been since you had your feet measured? Just for fun, take the "bedding" out of your favorite, most comfortable shoes. Now stand on it. Is there about 3/8 of an inch of space in front of your longest toe? There should be. And it should be just a bit narrower than your foot. If the bedding doesn't come out of your shoe, turn your right shoe upside down, and put your left foot on the bottom of it, the sole. You'll be able to see if it's the right size.

Then hold the shoe at both ends and twist it. It shouldn't twist. Ideally, the shoe should bend only where your foot bends....at the toes. We've spent the better part of the last 10 or so years believing that the softer the shoe the more comfortable it would be. Wrong! After wearing a shoe with a solid heel "counter" you'll notice how your ankle wobbles when you put on a soft shoe. If the front of the shoe doesn't provide stability to the front of your foot, it can slide around in the shoe and cause corns or calluses, or even cause strain on your knees!

Take care of those feet! Orthotics are available to support those 26 bones, and align not only your feet, but also your ankles, knees, hips and back. It's important that orthotics have a metatarsal lift, and that it is in the correct place for your foot (it's that size thing again!), particularly when wearing them while participating in sports. Supporting all four arches improves balance, which in turn improves performance. Custom fit orthotics are significantly less expensive than custom made, and almost always will provide the support you need to be comfortable. No, you can't buy them at the drugstore (those are cushions, not arch supports!), but the staff at an orthopedic shoe store will be happy to help you!

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