When I do a chiropractic exam in the office, I always tell the patient that we will look at them as if they are an architectural structure like a building or a bridge, and look for any weakness or imbalances that they may have. As in any other structure, it is important to consider the foundation, so including an evaluation of the feet in the exam is important. We now have in our office a digital foot scanner made by Foot Levelers that measures foot posture balance. A foot that is doing a good job of absorbing and dispersing the weight of standing and walking has half the weight of the body on the heel and half on the forefoot. Feet that do not support in this way tend to translate stress up the biomechanical chain to the knees, hips and spine. About 80 percent of the population pronates or have feet that 'tip in' when they walk. Over time, stress, gravity and the aging process can worsen pronation and cause arches to collapse. I've had middle aged people come into the office and tell me that their feet are growing, and I have to gently inform them that they are really just 'spreading out.' Custom orthotics can help to stop this process. Orthotics are the unique 'footbeds' that can be made from the digital image created by the scanner. As opposed to the rigid plastic kind prescribed by orthopedists and podiatrists, Foot Levelers are flexible and maintain the mobility of the joints of the foot during the gait cycle. They support the arches of the foot while providing shock absorption.

I often include custom orthotics as a part of our spinal conditioning programs because many structural imbalances begin at the feet. While the orthotics help to level the foundation, as chiropractors, we go to work improving the mobility of the spinal joints and the flexibility of the muscles. During this conditioning period, the body can find better overall balance. The goal is to bring a person from where they are at biomechanically to a point of maximum biomechanical improvement over a reasonable period of time. Once that point is reached, it is a matter of maintaining this improvement over their lifetime.

Dr. Morson