Back in my competitive running days, I was constantly getting shin splints and knee pains. I did everything I thought I could to help this problem. From icing my shins to taking off the necessary time, but nothing seemed to work. I remember one instance where I took off several months and the first run back I had shin pain. I thought it was strange. So I took it up with the podiatrist.
By this time, I've tried changing shoes and even changed the way I tied them. For that may help some people, that was not the case for me. Come to find out, the x-rays came back and I discovered that I have a crooked bone in each of my feet. The doctors designed an orthotic made special for my feet . As this did help for the time, it really struck an interest in the importance of footwear.
Most of us spend the majority of our life on our feet, but we don't really think about that. At some point in our lives, we usually come across an injury or two, maybe more. Could be knee pain, hip pain, back pain, ect. After so long, we usually get it looked at. We receive treatment for the injury and you feel good for a bit. Then maybe it comes back, or maybe you discover a new pain. As you look for new solutions, always be aware that usually a certain pain is caused by something else in the body - not directly where you feel the pain. For example, maybe your knees hurt because your quads or hamstrings are tight. Maybe your hips hurt because your knees aren’t getting the proper support for your feet.
Proper support on the feet is very important. Your feet are the base for your body and what takes the most impact throughout the day. Keeping your feet healthy helps the body’s overall alignment. Healthy feet help aid healthy knees, hips, core, shoulders, up to the head. Now it doesn’t make the body perfect, but it does set up a good foundation.