What You Should Know About Your Feet…

At Good Feet, we take a holistic approach to overall health and alignment. This means that we consider the whole foot instead of just the part that hurts, and we believe the feet are the foundation of a healthy body. Read on to learn more about how our arch support systems are designed with your WHOLE FOOT in mind.

Where are the FOUR arches in each foot?Everyone knows their foot has an arch, but did you know that each foot actually has FOUR arches? That’s right: four arches work together to stabilize the foot and help to balance the entire body while standing and walking.

Those Four Arches Are:

1. The Inner Longitudinal: the inside of the foot from the ball of the foot to the heel.
2. The Outer Longitudinal: the outside of the foot from the ball of the foot to the heel.
3. The Transverse: just in front of the heel.
4, The Metatarsal: the arch formed by the bones in the ball of the foot.

When all four arches are properly supported, the entire body is better aligned. Think of the feet like the foundation of a house. If the house’s foundation is weak or unbalanced, the entire house will sag and crumble in places. But if the house has a strong foundation, it will withstand the test of time.

The four arches are the foundation of the body, and when all of them get the support they need, they align together to help the foot properly distribute body weight evenly throughout the whole foot. This can reduce pain AND improve overall body alignment!

When all FOUR arches are aligned . . .
No single part of the foot can take on more pressure than it is designed to handle. When all four arches work properly together, the feet can see these discomforts simply disappear. The body gains a strong center of balance from the feet through the legs and back, and all the way up to the top of the head. A properly aligned body is less prone to injury and pain in trouble spots.

Do my shoe inserts already support all four arches in each foot?
Probably not! Most over-the-counter arch supports are designed to cushion your feet, not truly support them over time. This is because arch supports or insoles that are very mild and available in shoe sizes fit the most people possible. Many footwear companies design their products with the masses in mind, so they will be able to sell their merchandise to as many people as possible, without having to custom-fit each one. The problem is that unless your supports are supporting at least three arches, they can’t promote Ideal Foot alignment. And we believe that the best way to truly improve the foot’s alignment is to help align the foot in the Ideal Foot position with an arch support that is personally fit to you.

What is the “Ideal Foot?”
What makes Good Feet arch supports so revolutionary is that they are designed to promote Ideal Foot alignment, by helping to realign the foot, putting it in the “Ideal Foot” position. When the foot is in the “Ideal Foot” position, it is functioning at maximum effectiveness, aligning the entire body, which can eliminate pain due to improper pressure distribution.

A footprint of the Ideal Foot would show the following:
The whole footprint is the same tone; no single area of the footprint is darker than any other area. In the case, the Ideal Foot doesn’t step down too hard on any one part of the foot, so the whole foot gets used equally during Ideally aligned gait. When the foot is aligned in the Ideal Foot position, no portions of the foot have to strain to support more body weight than they are designed to.

All five toes show up, evenly spaced, and all the same color. This is because pressure is being distributed so evenly through the whole foot that none of the toes have to grip too hard to keep the body upright. In the Ideal Foot position, the toes spread out naturally, without crowding each other and potentially forming calluses or hammertoes.

The second toe lines up with the inside of the heel. The alignment position of the second toe can indicate whether a foot is properly aligned during each step. When the foot is Ideally aligned, it doesn’t roll inward or outward too much. When the non-aligned foot rolls too much during gait, it can put too much strain on the ankles, knees and hips, which work to keep the body straight as the foot rolls. However, the Ideal Foot is perfectly aligned, so the rest of the body’s joints don’t have to work so hard.

All FOUR arches are properly supported. The Ideal Foot position is only possible when all four of the arches in each foot are supported by a personally fit arch support. When all four arches are properly supported, the entire foot can sustain an Ideal Foot alignment, helping to align the entire body which may alleviate pain caused by improper pressure distribution.

Why do I want supports designed in the Ideal Foot position?
At Good Feet, we believe that if your feet are painful, your entire life is adversely affected. Don’t live with pain. The best solution may be to re-position your feet into the Ideal Foot alignment with Good Feet Arch Supports. As your feet adapt to Good Feet’s Three Step System, your body should also experience changes in overall alignment, which can restore comfort and eliminate pain.