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Shoes and its effect on the foot and posture
KRÁSNÁ, Jana
This thesis in focused on the influence of footwear not only directly on the foot and its sole but also on the posture and body as a whole. The foot is firstly the organ that enables movement of the locomotive system but which also provides direct contact with the surroundings and the way of getting information about it through proprioception. The foot also enables "keeping" to the ground we move on. It is connected through the muscle system with the levels above and so mutual influence of all body segments is established. The posture of lumbar spine, the function of the diaphragm, posture of the cervical spine and of the shoulder joints are the most important. Due to the fact that we spend two thirds of the day, or 16 hours a day, wearing shoes, their influence cannot be insignificant. Most types of shoes hinder the above mentioned functions of the feet through their faulty construction and their influence can be described more as that of a splint. Wearing some shoes can bring completely unnatural or even pathological foot posture which through the muscle systems further influences faulty posture of higher body segments. Data for this research were obtained using qualitative research with 12 students of the University of South Bohemia participating. The research group was divided into three categories by the type of worn footwear (naked, sport and healed footwear respectively). Subjective examination of the standing posture as well as examination using a lead was conducted. The walking gait was examined first barefoot, then in normal wear and finally on narrowed base. Finally the examination of the foot was performed where activity and function was tested using the Véle method, further the toe abduction and the grip tests. The aim of this research was to map the influences of wearing the different types of shoes on the body as a whole. The results show that a foot capable of full activity and function is closely connected to the correct activity of the diaphragm. On the contrary, with pathological function of the foot the function of the higher body segments will be influenced negatively. The foot is therefore concluded to play a major role in the function of the locomotive system and should always be taken into account in physiotherapy.
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