I’ve been training for my 3rd marathon testing my theories about foot mechanics by running in Chuck Taylors (Converse) shoes. And no, I’m not sponsored by Converse! I’m up to my 20-mile runs and am feeling very good about my foot strike mechanics (although wish I was a faster runner!). I’ve had no, foot, knee, hip, or back pain since switching. Previously, I would always have to correct a pelvic rotation which contributed to back and hip pain but no longer. I’m feeling very good about my new theories regarding our walking (running) patterns.

Yesterday saw a woman with bunion problems and we were able to temporarily reduce the size of her bunions by changing how she stood. Now the trick will be to get her to walk better, thereby correcting the mechanical issues, I believe to be behind her foot, hip, and back pain issues. I’m really enjoying experimenting with this as I believe our anatomy supports my theory. Of course, I have a lot to learn, however, to tweak it and make it applicable to everyone.

I’ve been experimenting with my theories about walking mechanics and chronic pain conditions such as plantar fasciitis, bunions, heel spurs, hammer toes etc. Although it has been simple to remove the pain of bunions through improved gait training, I haven’t yet been able to reduce the size of the bunions–until now (I think). The problem is I took pictures of my client’s bunions but mistakenly sent them to my trash. She believes (as well as I) they are reduced–dramatically. But I have no proof without those pictures!

The plantar fasciitis has been more difficult to treat. I can make the pain go away with my simple taping technique but getting people to actually alter their gait pattern consistently has been the problem. I’m now also experimenting with a simple knee taping technique to help change their gait mechanics even if they’re not thinking about it. This is an interesting mental leap for me as I generally haven’t considered the knee affecting the foot. Instead I’ve always thought of the foot affecting the knee. I think this should help though. We’ll see! I’m also understanding that, for those with chronic plantar fasciitis, the foot mechanics are in a “deep hole” of poor function and so taping right off the bat is the right way to go instead of just altering gait patterns.

Ultimately my theory is that we should not need foot orthoses to fix our foot mechanics given the proper guidance.  This, in light of the fact that I cast for foot orthoses, would be a major revelation in the industry. What I am learning, however, is that changing foot strike patterns on a regular basis is more difficult than I expected. For those unable (or unwilling)  to change their patterns, foot orthoses are a good choice–assuming they are casted correctly (which many are not).

Anyway, my experiments continue and I am heartened by my results!