Flexible feet support you
The feet are designed to be very flexible having three arches, which makes them very strong. They are a shock absorber as well as having to flex to shape the ground with each foot strike. The way the feet hit the ground gives our brain signals as to how to balance the rest of the body to stop us from falling over with each step. Each foot has 26 bones, 31 joints and 20 muscles and they should all work together to support our body.
The ankles distribute weight from above
The ankle is the joint where the vertical strength of our body meets the horizontal flexibility of our feet. If your whole body is aligned and balanced, the ankles give the load of the body over to the feet to absorb the weight from above. If your body is in balance, you work in harmony with gravity and are very stable and strong. But if just one joint from your neck to your knees are out of balance, the weight is not distributed evenly throughout your body it puts uneven pressure somewhere else. Imagine a small discrepancy in the building of a tower. It becomes less stable the higher it goes, until it loses its strength, bends and topples. Our bodies are similar.
Unbalanced from above creates wear and tear
If your ankle delivers the weight of your body unevenly through the joint, and the foot cannot flex, it cannot disperse the weight of your body evenly. Uneven wear and tear creates tension and eventually weakens the structure of the joints which can lead to pain.
Common foot and ankle conditions
The most common types of foot and ankle pain are: plantar faciitis, heel spurs, sprains and strains, achilles tendonitis and fractures.
How pain source release can help
If you have a fracture I can work on other areas to keep you flexible and ready to do rehabilitation when you have the all clear from your doctor. Minor sprains and strains I can work with as soon as they have occurred to help your body clear away the inflammation and reduce swelling. More severe sprains and strains may require working further from the source until the pain level is tolerable to be able to hold it.
The treatment I would give you if you came to see me with foot or ankle pain is to allow your body to soften using gentle but supportive pressure. I would start holding your problem area, but move as you change. As your body softens I feel where it is still holding tension and follow it, changing my pressure as your body changes. Everyone has different restrictions, so every treatment will be different. I could stay working around your feet, or end up working with a restriction in the opposite shoulder. Sometimes the reason for the pain is not the source of the pain.