- Anatomy of The Spine
- Back Pain in Children
- Caring for your Spine
- Emerging Spinecare Trends
- Evaluation of Spinal Disorders
- Exercise and The Spine
- Intervention - Spinal Disorders
- Intervertebral Disc
- Non Surgical Options
- Nutrition and Spinecare
- Options for Spine Treatments
- Pregnancy and Back Pain
- Prevalence of Spine Disorders
- Sleep and the Spine
- Spinecare Introduction
- Spinehealth and Disease
- Surgical Interventions
- Treatment with Medications
- Understanding Back Pain
Spinecare Topics
Caring for your Spine
Walking and the Back
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Walking and the Back
Numb Foot: Intact sensation of the foot particularly, along the bottom of the foot is required to properly activate muscles during walking (the gait cycle). Disturbed nerve function is often associated with a feeling of pins and needles and/or numbness. Significant nerve compromise is often associated with weakness of muscles which the foot. Individuals with diminished foot sensation are at greater risk for falling and tend to walk in a guarded fashion. The associated of abnormal gait can lead to back problems. There are many causes for foot numbness that include nerve damage in the back secondary to a herniated disc and/or spinal stenosis. One of the more common medical disorders that can cause numb feet is diabetes and neuropathy.
Excessive Pronation: The term pronation refers to the inward rotation of the foot during the weight-bearing phase of walking. The normal foot pronates slightly during the act of walking. This helps absorb shock and prepares the foot for the next phase of walking. Excessive pronation causes excessive rotation of the bones of the lower leg. This places stress on the knees, hips, pelvis and low back.
Metatarsalgia: The metatarsals are the long bones of the forefoot. They stop at the base of the toes. Metatarsalgia refers to forefoot pain usually experienced on the bottom of the ball of the foot. There are numerous causes of metatarsalgia that include overuse during sporting events or exercising, poor fitting shoes, and excessive body weight. Chronic or severe forefoot pain leads to altered gait which places undue stress on the low back.
Weak Foot: The foot and ankle must have proper support during walking. The act of walking also requires muscle driven movement of the foot up (dorsiflexion) and down (plantar flexion). During the swing phase of walking the foot is pulled up so that the toes clear the ground allowing for efficient heel strike to occur. The muscles that pull the foot up are powered by nerves that exit the spine and travel into the leg as part of the sciatic nerve. The calf muscles help propel the individual forward during the push off phase of walking. The calf muscles are also powered by nerves from the low back that descend as part of the sciatic nerve. There are many different causes for foot weakness. The most common cause arises from the spine as the result of nerve compression. Spine disorders can result in a weak foot and abnormal walking (gait) which in turn exacerbates back pain.
The Gait Cycle (Pattern of Walking)
The gait cycle refers to the integrated stages (phases) of walking. The cycle of walking begins with a heel strike and ends with a heel strike with the same foot. Many coordinated events must occur within a gait cycle. There are two primary phases of movement during walking (gait cycle). The first phase is the called the stance phase that refers to the weight-bearing portion of the cycle. The second phase is called the swing phase that refers to swinging of the non-weight bearing foot/leg forward.
Excessive Pronation: The term pronation refers to the inward rotation of the foot during the weight-bearing phase of walking. The normal foot pronates slightly during the act of walking. This helps absorb shock and prepares the foot for the next phase of walking. Excessive pronation causes excessive rotation of the bones of the lower leg. This places stress on the knees, hips, pelvis and low back.
Metatarsalgia: The metatarsals are the long bones of the forefoot. They stop at the base of the toes. Metatarsalgia refers to forefoot pain usually experienced on the bottom of the ball of the foot. There are numerous causes of metatarsalgia that include overuse during sporting events or exercising, poor fitting shoes, and excessive body weight. Chronic or severe forefoot pain leads to altered gait which places undue stress on the low back.
Weak Foot: The foot and ankle must have proper support during walking. The act of walking also requires muscle driven movement of the foot up (dorsiflexion) and down (plantar flexion). During the swing phase of walking the foot is pulled up so that the toes clear the ground allowing for efficient heel strike to occur. The muscles that pull the foot up are powered by nerves that exit the spine and travel into the leg as part of the sciatic nerve. The calf muscles help propel the individual forward during the push off phase of walking. The calf muscles are also powered by nerves from the low back that descend as part of the sciatic nerve. There are many different causes for foot weakness. The most common cause arises from the spine as the result of nerve compression. Spine disorders can result in a weak foot and abnormal walking (gait) which in turn exacerbates back pain.
The Gait Cycle (Pattern of Walking)
The gait cycle refers to the integrated stages (phases) of walking. The cycle of walking begins with a heel strike and ends with a heel strike with the same foot. Many coordinated events must occur within a gait cycle. There are two primary phases of movement during walking (gait cycle). The first phase is the called the stance phase that refers to the weight-bearing portion of the cycle. The second phase is called the swing phase that refers to swinging of the non-weight bearing foot/leg forward.
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