Why Wearing Good Shoes is Crucial for Your Health
When we think about taking care of our bodies, we often focus on things like exercise, nutrition, and posture. But one aspect that is often overlooked is the importance of what we put on our feet—our shoes. The shoes you wear play a crucial role in your overall health, especially when it comes to maintaining nervous system function.
As chiropractors, we understand that your body is a system of interconnected parts, and that starts with your feet. They are the foundation that supports your entire body. In this post, we’ll discuss why wearing good shoes is essential for your health and how the right footwear can support your neurospinal system and entire body.
The Foundation of Your Body: Your Feet
Your feet are the foundation of your entire body. Every time you take a step, your feet send signals to your brain about your posture, movement, and balance. They act as shock absorbers and help to distribute the forces from walking, running, or standing throughout your body. If your feet are not properly supported, this can cause a ripple effect throughout your body, potentially leading to stress on your neurospinal system, poor posture, and even pain or injury.
Since your spine is responsible for housing your nervous system, maintaining proper function of the neurospinal system is key to overall health. Stress within the neurospinal system, known as subluxation, can occur when your feet are not functioning properly.
How Poor Footwear Affects Your Neurospinal System and Posture
Wearing shoes that lack support or do not fit properly can lead to a variety of problems that affect your posture and neurospinal system. Here’s how:
1. Misalignment and Poor Posture: Shoes that do not provide proper arch support, cushioning, or alignment can cause you to compensate in your posture. For example, high heels encourage improper alignment of the hips, pelvis, and lower back.
2. Increased Pressure on the Neurospinal System: When your feet don’t have proper support, it can change the way you walk or stand. This can create imbalances in the forces exerted on your neurospinal system. Poor foot posture can affect the way forces are distributed in your ankles, knees, hips, low back, and entire neurospinal system.
3. Decreased Shock Absorption: Shoes that lack adequate cushioning can cause more vibratory forces to travel up the body with each step, overwhelming the receptors in the joints causing misinformation to be sent to the brain. When the brain gets overwhelmed with poor information, the result is poor motor output and coordination which could look like: pain, discomfort, tightness, and more.
The Role of Chiropractic Care in Foot Health
As chiropractors, we believe in the body’s ability to heal itself when given the right conditions. One of those conditions is proper alignment—starting from the feet and working all the way up the neurospinal system. That’s why we take a comprehensive approach when addressing your concerns, looking at how your feet function and how they affect your entire nervous system.
Proper footwear plays a key role in making sure that your nervous system receives the clear communication it needs to function at its best.
What to Look for in Good Footwear
Now that you understand why footwear is so important for your health, it’s time to make sure your shoes are up to the task. Here are some key features to look for:
- Arch Support: Proper arch support helps to align your feet and prevent overpronation (when your feet roll inward) or supination (when they roll outward), both of which can lead to stress on the neurospinal system.
- Cushioning: Shoes with good cushioning help absorb shock with each step, reducing stress on your joint receptors.
- Fit: Make sure your shoes fit properly. Shoes that are too tight or too loose can cause discomfort, alter your gait, and contribute to compensation patterns. Always ensure there’s enough room in the toe box, and that the shoes fit snugly without pinching.
- Heel Height: Avoid shoes with excessively high heels, as they can throw off your foot’s natural motion, particularly in the heel. Opt for shoes with little to no heel to toe drop.
- Stability: Look for shoes with a firm, stable sole that provides good traction and support.
Final Thoughts
The shoes you wear are more important than you might think when it comes to maintaining your health. Your feet are the foundation of your body, and the right shoes help to keep that foundation stable and functioning properly. By wearing supportive footwear, you’re not only taking care of your feet, but you’re also supporting your nervous system and overall well-being.
At our practice, we emphasize the importance of proper input to the brain, starting from the ground up. Proper footwear, combined with regular chiropractic care, can help you maintain lasting health.
Ready to get started? Contact our office today to set up your personalized consultation, examination, and neurological scans.
Looking for new shoes? Current patients reply “SHOES” to our office number.