Tag: feetandposture

Posture From the Ground Up

When we talk about posture, most people immediately think of shoulders, spine, or head position. But the real story starts much lower. The feet are your first point of contact with the ground — their foundation, their sensory interface, and often the origin of the patterns we see further up the chain.

Why the feet matter more than we think

Every step, every standing position, every shift of weight begins with the feet. When the feet collapse, stiffen, grip, or rotate, the body adapts above:

• knees spiral in or out,
• hips shift,
• the pelvis tilts,
• the spine compensates,
• the ribcage adjusts,
• the head follows.

It’s never “just the feet”. It’s the beginning of a whole‑body conversation.

Pronation vs. supination

Pronation and supination are not “good” or “bad”. They are natural movements. Problems arise only when a client gets stuck in one pattern.

What to look for:

• Does one foot pronate more than the other?
• Does the client load the inside or outside edge of the foot?
• Do they grip with their toes?
• Do they collapse through the arch when tired?

These small details often explain the knee, hip, or back patterns you see later.

Case Studies

The Client with Back Pain

A client started to complain of lower back/back sacro-iliac pain. I asked about her footwear and she said she’d bought a new pair of running shoes a month before. They turned out to be for pronators – a bit of a buzz word at the time. My client had high arches and leaned more towards suppination. The shoes were forcing her even further onto the outer edges of her feet putting stress through the pelvis, hence the pain. She changed her shoes, problem solved.

The Client’s Son with Knee Pain

I used to see my client on a Wednesday and there often seemed to be an issue with her son not wanting to go to school. During conversation, Wednesday was sports afternoon and he would come home with pain on the inside of his knees. I suggested they go to a sports shop where they could get his gait properly assessed and choose new trainers to suit his needs. His issue was pronation, causing his knees to collapse inwards and cause the knee pain. Once he had the correct footwear, the pain disappeared.

How to observe foot posture in standing and walking

In standing:

• Look at the heel bone — is it vertical or tilted?
• Observe the arches — lifted, collapsed, or asymmetrical?
• Notice weight distribution — front/back, inside/outside?
• Check toe activity — relaxed or gripping?
• Check the knee position.

In walking:

• Watch the heel strike — soft or heavy?
• Observe the roll‑through — smooth or abrupt?
• Look for a “quiet” foot vs. a “noisy” foot.
• Notice if one foot behaves differently from the other.

Tests to build awareness

• Stand barefoot and shift weight slowly from side to side — what changes?
• Lift all ten toes, then place them down one by one — what wakes up?
• Walk slowly and notice which part of the foot meets the floor first? Notice the roll of the foot and points of contact, the difference in the two feet.

These simple drills can reveal a lot!

If you enjoy exploring posture from this deeper, whole‑body perspective, my new Postural Assessment course goes further into how to observe, interpret, and work with these patterns in your clients.