The arch of the foot like many other structures of the body, is a shock absorbing mechanism. It is however the first line of defense against the jarring forces of walking, running and jumping. Further downstream from the arch of the foot is the nutation movement of the pelvic joints, the arch in the low back, upper back and the swooped curve of the neck. Patients who come for chiropractic in Santa Rosa see a doctor that understands how curves and arches dampen forces by bending through an arc and dissipating shock through the lattice of muscles, tendons and cartilage supporting the bones and joints in that area.

When walking barefoot we utilize the arch in the foot to dampen the strain of the body’s weight hitting the ground with each step. We do this by walking on the balls of our feet. This keeps the arch strong and protects the rest of the body from the impact forces of walking running or jumping. However, we do not typically walk on the balls of our feet, we plant our heels first and roll through our arches. This weakens our arch and forces us to employ padded footwear (modern shoes) to make up for the arch not being engaged. Chiropractic in Santa Rosa advocates arch support to help people maintain an arch while continuing to walk on their heels. Custom orthotics are important for preventing a total collapse of the arch. A collapsed arch puts additional strain on the knee, hip, low back and the rest of the spine so if you aren’t walking on the balls of your feet you should have arch support in your shoes.