How to Choose a Good Shoe?

Every shoe company has their own little twist on what makes their shoe better.  You see bigger cushions, arch supports, odd shaped soles, inflatable shock absorbers and just about anything a shoemaker can dream up.

But, what makes a good shoe ?  And, how do you know if a shoe is really good for you ?

As I have written in other articles, arch supports are no good.  Contrary to what shoe companies, orthotic makers and many doctors say, arch supports do nothing to treat or prevent injury.  This is not just my opinion.  The British Journal of Sports Medicine did an extensive study of footwear in 2008.  They concluded that there is no scientific evidence anywhere, that arch supports either treat or prevent injury.

You can also test whether arch supports are good for your body.  Stand barefoot and walk around, take deep breaths, stand on one foot, move side to side or any movement you want to test.  Then put your arch supports on.  You will notice that it is more difficult to do any movement you choose while wearing arch supports.  (Yes, even your breathing can feel more restricted.)

So, when you look for a shoe, make sure the inside is level from side to side.

Also, make sure the back of the heel of the shoe is the highest point.  If any part of the shoe is higher than the heel, it will cause your shoulders to droop when you walk.

Make sure the shoe is wide enough across the toes.  If it is too tight, not only does it hurt your foot, it will cause balance problems.  You can test this by putting on a tight pair of shoes and standing for a while.  You will notice that you sway more in tight shoes.

To find out more about how I treat foot problems, balance disorders and back pain: log on to:  www.painfree-greatposture.com and order a free report.

Why I Wear Vibram Five Fingers

A few months ago I started wearing Vibram Five Finger shoes after reading the book “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall.

I’ve been an advocate of barefoot training for almost 8 years now and I have been working out in stocking feet or barefoot most of that time.  I started doing it in order to overcome metatarsal fractures to my right foot.

All of the experts told me I needed arch supports, but when I wore them, my feet hurt worse.  In fact, I broke the fifth metatarsal again while in my arch supported shoes.

Then I started working out barefoot and it was the only time my feet didn’t hurt.  In my office, I would wear a dress shoe that I had custom tailored to have no arch support.  It worked better than “off the rack” shoes, but I still had some pain in my feet and in my back after a long day of treating people.

In treating my patients, I and several doctors from around the country, have noticed that people who wear arch supports have bad posture.  This is contrary to what the experts tell you when you buy them.  We have suggested that our patients wear flat shoes with no arches and the results have been excellent.

A few months ago, I bought the Vibram Five Fingers and to break them in, I wore them to the office.  They looked funny with my white coat and tie, but my patients got a kick out of them.  At the end of the day, I was less tired and much less sore.  So I decided to make them a part of my daily wardrobe.  I love them.

It is not a totally easy transition.  I did notice that if I have to maintain good posture or my feet will start to hurt when I walk.  If I stand tall…no problems.

I ran two miles in them the other day and I feel really good.  I’m looking forward to doing some outdoor running this summer when the weather is nicer.

To find out more about how I treat patients with foot problems, log on to www.stopyourfootpain.com

Fibromyalgia and the Spinal Cord

The theories about how the widespread pain of fibromyalgia occurs are numerous.  Far too many to go over in one article.  But the main theory that guides my treatment is a theory called spinal cord hypersensitivity.

To explain it, I have to lay down a little groundwork so you get a better understanding.  You will need to know a little bit about how the nervous system works.  Don’t worry, its not that difficult.

You may have noticed at some time in your life that you walked into a room and it smelled bad.  After being in the room a while, you probably noticed that you don’t smell it any more.  This is a normal function of your nervous system.  It filters out un-necessary information, so you can concentrate on other things.

Your body will also do this with pain, at least to a certain extent.  You cut your finger, it hurts for a while, then it goes away.  Partly because it is healing and partly because your brain realizes it’s just a cut finger and you don’t need to feel it as much anymore.

The filtering function happens in your spinal cord.  In a normal person’s spinal cord, sensations of pain get lessened over time.  In someone with fibromyalgia, the opposite happens, the pain gets worse.  So think about what would happen if you came into a room, it smelled bad, and the longer you sat there, the worse it got.  Well, welcome to the world of fibromyalgia.  The longer you have the pain, the worse it gets.

The phenomenon is called central sensitization and it was written about extensively in the January 2004 edition of the scientific journal, Pain.  The study explored how people with neck injuries and people with fibromyalgia get pain.  They concluded that “sensitization explains, at least in part, pain in the absence of detectable tissue damage, as found in both conditions.”

To treat fibromyalgia successfully, the issue of central (spinal cord) sensitization must be addressed.  In my office, we concentrate on getting rid of any posture problems that may be causing the cord to be stretched and irritated.  I also work on the patient’s diet and lifestyle to get rid of anything they may be eating that would cause the nervous system to be irritated or inflamed.  The treatment is very successful and allows people with fibromyalgia to return to a more normal life.

To learn more about how I treat fibromyalgia, log on to www.stopyourfibronow.com.