Foot and or leg pain, often one causes the other

Serial Distortion: How our legs and feet can effect the spine and your foot and leg pain. Its easy to see how foot and leg pain can arise when I make the following statement. ANY joint that is not functioning with its normal range of motion, will adversely effect the joints above and below the one with altered mechanics. If there is altered range of motion in the ankle, knee, hips or low back, these mechanical problems can lead to foot and leg pain.

Believe it or not sixty percent of the shock absorption of the spine comes from controlled rapid pronation of the foot after heel strike. 1 If there are problems in the ankle, longitudinal arch or with the L5 nerve root we have lost the primary shock absorption system.

The secondary shock absorption system is controlled by extension of the big toe causing rapid supination during the toe off phase of gait and by the popliteus muscle. 2 Fifty percent of the population has a problem called Functional Hallux Limitus which inhibits this action.

We can often correct foot and leg pain with functional orthotics and Chiropractic adjustment of the foot, knee and hip. There are also a few rehabilitative exercises that can be prescribed and demonstrated to you which will assist you in restoring this vital shock absorption system.

A thorough Chiropractic examination of the entire lower limb kinetic chain may hold the key to your foot and leg pain. Not all Chiropractors are certified extremity practitioners and finding a C.C.E.P. may up the odds of your Chiropractor having the specific training to deal with more complicated extremity issues.

1. Clinical Biomechanics-volume II. “Normal and Abnormal Function of the Foot” M.L. Root, W.P Orien, J.H. Weed. Clinical Biomechanics Corp., 1997.
2. “The Conservative Treatment of Hallox Limitus” Howard J. Danenberg, D.P.M. Current Podiatric Medicine, April 1990.