Here’s what feet need:
Stability of the foot/ankle when "toeing off"
Suppleness of foot tissues to allow twist when walking/running
Suppleness of big toe to allow toe off
Suppleness of toes to access toe splay for balance
Suppleness of calf muscles to allow dorsiflexion so we don’t trip
Strength of foot muscles/plantar fascia to maintain shape/arch
Strength of big toe off when pushing off
Strength of calf muscles to plantar flex in gait cycle
Our brain takes its job of keeping us alive seriously (although it doesn’t care if we’re happy) so it will compensate or trick us into NOT doing anything it PERCEIVES as dangerous...whether it’s actually dangerous or not. Pain provides an “alarm” when there’s an actual threat but...is it true? In this case? That’s what we need to investigate. An example is phantom pain in an amputated limb...an old story but the brain/nervous system is still hanging on to it.
The good news is...once you know what’s missing or what’s causing discomfort (brain’s 🧠 way of asking for change) you can take small steps to big changes!
Key Assessments

FOOTNOTES


Ankle ROM
