Premier Podiatry

Basic foot function

The foot is the only part of human body that is unique to the human and has developed to allow us to walk upright. The specialised arrangement of the 26 bones of the foot, the muscles, tendons and ligaments are all designed to allow the foot to adapt to the walking surface yet be stable enough to support our body weight and allow effective walking and running.

The joint below the ankle joint is known as the subtalar joint. This is responsible for the locking and unlocking of the foot during walking. As the foot contacts the ground, the heel rolls down and the arch lowers. This motion is known as pronation and helps to unlock the joints of the foot so that it is mobile and able to adapt to the surface. As the body passes over the foot and the heel begins to lift off the ground, the heel rolls out and the arch starts to rise again. This motion is known as supination and helps to lock the joints of the foot so that it is stable as it pushes off into the next step.

The structure and function of each person's foot varies considerably with many people demonstrating average amounts of pronation and supination during the step. However, some people have less mobile feet with a higher arch (supinated), whilst others have more mobile feet with a lower arch (pronated). The function of the foot may predispose to injury or deformity and can be responsible for leg, knee, hip and back pain.

It is for this reason that many people, especially sports men and women, have a detailed biomechanical evaluation and gait analysis to try and identify abnormal function that may be contributing to their problem.

A specific treatment plan which may include strength and flexibility exercises, shoe advice and special shoe inserts (orthotics) can often help to reduce discomfort and allow a return to normal activity.