Your Feet

Your feet are the foundation for the normal balance and alignment of your body. Structural problems in the feet, even the slightest misalignment of bone and muscle, can alter the way that you walk and cause many different problems.

Your feet are a complex system made up of

• 52 bones
• 66 joints
• 214 ligaments
• 38 tendons and muscles

Most Common Types of Foot Pain

• Plantar Fasciitis (Arch Pain)
• Heel Spurs (Heel Pain)
• Achilles Tendonitis (Rear Foot Pain)
• Metatarsalgia (Forefoot Pain)
• Bunion Pain (Big Toe Pain)
• Arthritis
• Diabetes

Foot Facts

People punish their feet daily by wearing ill fitting shoes or by walking around on feet that do not function properly. Educate yourself and start improving the health of your feet.

Foot Fact Number 1
25 % of the bones in the body are in your feet

Your feet are a complex system of 52 bones, 66 joints, 214 ligaments, 38 muscles and tendons. It is no wonder that many people will experience foot health problems of varying degrees, at some point in their lives.

You could be walking in comfort with professionally fitted custom orthotics.

Foot Fact Number 2
The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day

Your feet have an important job; they carry you throughout the day, with every step making an impact on your body. If your foot functions improperly it will have an effect on joints higher up the kinetic chain (your ankle, knee, hip and spine). This may result in pain or discomfort. Most individuals will seek out medical attention for the symptoms they are experiencing in their joints, but do not realize the source of their pain is their feet.

Foot Fact Number 3
The right running shoe for you...

If you are active, it is important that you select the right athletic shoe for your sport and for your foot type. With so many choices on the market, you should consult an expert for the best brand and model for your particular foot each time you buy.

Foot Fact Number 4
60-70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nerve damage, often impairing the sensation of the feet

Foot disease is one of the complications of diabetes. Severe nerve damage in the feet can lead to ulceration and often lower extremity amputations. Early prevention and treatment of foot disease can be managed by effective foot care practices. These practices include: diagnosis of high pressure areas on the diabetic foot and treatment with properly fitted orthotics or footwear.

Foot Fact Number 5
Many foot conditions (bunions, calluses, corns, etc.) are caused by ill fitting shoes

Most individuals buy shoes that do not properly fit their feet and that tend to aggravate foot ailments. When shopping for shoes make sure you go in the afternoon - your feet swell during the day. Also bring the proper socks for the style of shoe you will be buying, and if applicable, bring your custom orthotics. Shoe sizes vary based on the shoe make and style - do not always assume you will be the same size every time.

Achieving the proper fit:

• The toe box should have a ton of room; make sure you can wiggle your toes
• Ensure the width fits properly (your forefoot should never be wider than the shoe)
• Your heel should be stable within the heel counter
• The shoes should feel comfortable the moment you try them on

Functional Gait Analysis

The gaitscan analysis is quick and painless. The results are available instantly as printouts which you can keep. Whilst the information collected from the other assessments helps to build up a picture of what causes your abnormal foot function and your current health problems, it is the results of the gaitscan assessment that are used to create a pair of prescription functional orthoses, if required.

By walking over the pressure-sensitive mat, tiny sensors pick up how pressure is distributed across your foot when it is in contact with the ground.

Not only does the TOG GaitScan collect data on where the pressure is distributed, but also on the relative timing and degree of pressure in different parts of the foot throughout each step.

This raw data is then presented in the following ways:

a) 3-D models of the foot which show areas of high and low pressure

The peaks show the areas of high pressure, and the troughs show areas of low pressure.

In this particular foot, areas of higher pressure are present along the base of the toes and in the big and second toe.

b) 2-D colour images which show the centre of pressure line and areas of high and low pressure

The dotted line is the centre of pressure line. The closer the dots, the slower the foot is moving, the further apart the dots the quicker the foot is moving.

In this example of a severe varus footshape, hyperpronation through the midstance phase of the gait cycle is shown by very wide spacing of the dots on the centre of pressure line. This foot spends too much time on the rearfoot trying to prevent over-pronation and too much time of the forefoot struggling to supinate sufficiently for toe-off.

Toe-off should occur from the second toe, but here hyperpronation forces the centre of pressure to the inner, or medial side of the foot and then through the big toe, causing bunions to develop.

Areas of red indicate high pressure, and areas of dark blue indicate low pressure. Optimal foot function shows no areas of red, but here too much pressure is being forced through the heel and the big toes, with too little across much of the rest of the foot.

c) Comparison of data against that for an optimally functioning foot

This is the standard by which all TOG gaitscans are compared.

This scan of the optimally functioning foot shows the ideal position, shape and spacing of the centre of pressure line, together with optimal pressure distribution across the foot.

d) Graphs and tables of data which show the relationship of timing and extent of pressure across each foot throughout every step

These graphs present the same data as shown by the 3-D and 2-D images, but in a way which enables the laboratories to create a custom orthotic direct from the digital information.

This eliminates the subjectivity involved in having the practitioner interpret and design a custom orthotic from this raw data by hand.

The result is consistently more accurate and reliable custom orthoses, regardless of the differences in skills and knowledge of each practitioner using the equipment. This increases standards and objectivity in the creation of custom functional orthoses.

The 2-D and 3-D images are very useful as educational tools for both patients and practitioners, and it is possible to identify the foot type from these images. The graphs and tables provide the data in a more complex way which can be analysed in greater depth to provide a more complex understanding of foot function.