Denver Chiropractic Center is proud to be an authorized dealer for the A-Line foot suspension system. Do you have foot, ankle or shin pain?

Foot pain can be both annoying and debilitating. Anything that affects your ability to move around and participate in sports is a problem. Several factors can contribute to foot pain, and in this article, we’ll look at one of the most common…Poor foot, ankle and knee alignment.

Many of you know that the so-called barefoot running movement became incredibly popular in the last few years. And while many of us were willing to go minimal on the shoes and experiment, most of us couldn’t hack it.

The theory seemed sensible – get rid of supportive shoes and your feet will naturally strengthen. But there was a problem- many of us had spent 30 or 40 years in supportive shoes. Or feet were like lifelong welfare recipients – the simply didn’t know how to support themselves.

So the barefoot running experiment failed a lot of people. Here’s why: The human foot does well if you’re out shoes from an early age (like from the time you start crawling). If you stay away from flat surfaces, like sidewalks, streets, floors, etc, varying terrain challenges your feet. This builds strong feet.

Strong feet have arches that function well, and exhibit good alignment between the foot, ankle, and knee. Appropriately strong ligaments and equally strong muscles support this alignment.

The correct this alignment is start with an assessment. Some people have better alignment than others. The use of a dynamic insole like the A-lines that we carry at Denver Chiropractic Center allows the foot to get some supports, while also allowing the arches of the foot to strengthen. Rigid orthotics weaken the feet and further degrade natural alignment.

Specific low-impact strengthening exercises can help as well. An example is standing on one foot while making circles with the other foot. 10 circles in each direction with the “flying” foot circling in from of and behind the working foot works well. Another great exercise is simply trying to stand on one foot for 3 minutes.

At Denver Chiropractic Center, we use Active Release Technique to address the scar tissue that develops in muscles that are overworked in poorly aligned feet. This can include muscles of the foot, shin and calf. Scar tissue further weakens muscles, making alignment worse.

If foot or ankle pain has been bothering you, we can probably help. But it all starts with the initial exam, including a foot-ankle-knee alignment check. Call us today to schedule yours. 303.300.0424. We’re here to help.