To Your Health
October, 2007 (Vol. 01, Issue 10)
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  • Have your chiropractor adjust your feet. If you have never had your feet adjusted by your chiropractor before, you don't know what you are missing. Aside from helping to support your three arches by getting the bones to move back to where they should be, it feels great.
  • Ask your chiropractor about flexible, custom-made, three-arch foot inserts (orthotics). Since the connective tissue under your feet is now permanently stretched out to some degree, you need the support from now on. Once you get the inserts, wear them appropriately. You want to keep your feet stabilized so they don't get any worse.

  • Do exercises. Keep the underside of your feet loose by rolling a racquet- ball, tennis ball or golf ball under them. Thirty seconds, twice a day will help keep your feet more relaxed and stretched.

  • Get supportive shoes. Wearing a shoe that  fits properly and offers the best support will help keep your feet from overpronating.

Calluses and Corns

Illustration of the inner structure of the human foot and ankle. - Copyright – Stock Photo / Register Mark Calluses are toughened areas of skin that have become thick and hard as a response to repeated contact or pressure. Corns are specially shaped calluses that can be soft or hard, depending on the type of pressure and location on the foot. If you look at your own feet, the usual places you find calluses and corns are on the tops of your toes, the balls of the feet and the bottom surfaces of the foot and heels.

In the average person, as the three arches start to collapse and drop to the floor, the foot gets longer. This causes the toes to touch or rub on the end of the shoe. The increased pressure on the tops or bottoms of the toes and feet can then cause corns and calluses to form.

Ankle Sprains

Almost all of us have had a sprained ankle at least once. I am sure you remember how painful it was. Sprained ankles commonly occur because someone was performing an activity and they probably "turned their ankle" the wrong way. But did you realize that the 80 percent of people whose arches are already collapsing have a higher risk of getting sprained ankles?

Remember when you stood up and turned your feet inward? Do you remember the pressure you felt on your inner ankles? Well, that type of pressure occurs to some degree in people who excessively pronate every time they walk or run, which makes an ankle sprain more likely due to the forces placed on it when they play sports.