Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
“I have been told that I walk like a duck because my feet turn out. What does that even mean? Can you help me?”
Yes! When you walk with your feet turned out, Answer: instead of walking heel to toe, you are hitting the outside of your heel first and then rolling in toward the big toe. Called over-pronation, it means your arches are dropping which can lead to a flat foot causing plantar fasciitis, and even a torn achilles tendon. You turn your feet out because it feels more stable. You can tell if you over pronate, if the outside of the heels of your shoes wear down more than the inside.
You can tell if you over pronate by looking at the heels of your shoes. If one foot rolls in more than the other, then one hip will be higher than the other creating a curvature in your spine leading to back pain and arthritis.
Overpronating will also affect your knees because your knees will internally rotate and cause grinding and popping under the knee cap eventually causing arthritis (think knee replacement).
When you come to our office, I will take a weight bearing 3D scan of your feet which will show us where the imbalances are. Based on the scan, we fit you with custom orthotics to bring your feet back into balance. When your feet are level, the hips will level and the knee will track properly. Feet are your foundation and if they are not level and balanced, you can end up with a lot of painful conditions and even surgery. Why not be proactive? Why wait, when you can prevent a lot of future pain and even disability?
Call our office at 479-587-0227 to set up your free consultation and go to www.thegibsoncenter to learn about our services.