It is important to remember when dealing with any form of pain or discomfort that you are experiencing, that your feet are the only thing physically connecting you to the earth in your everyday life.
"Your feet are the only thing physically connecting you to the earth in your everyday life".
Therefore, regardless of the location of pain, be it in the foot, ankle or anywhere else in the body, it is important to acknowledge that this important role, held solely by the foot and ankle complex, determines a lot in terms of what goes on in our body all the way up to even the brain!
Foot health is therefore your health. A stiff foot may put stresses through other structures higher up such as your knees that are not designed to be mobile, therefore predisposing you to knee issues.
Whilst on the other hand (or foot!), an unstable foot and ankle complex may give rise to muscles in the body having to overwork to provide the necessary stability, leading to overuse injuries and pain.
So, the next time you go for a walk or a run and your body hurts afterwards, think that maybe it is time that your trusted physiotherapist has a look at how you are using your feet.