Look down

A long time has passed since my last post but I'm back. The thought for today is - no matter where the complaint is in the pelvis or spine, look at the client's feet and ankles. I do not know how many clients I treated this past week for sacroiliac, spinal, groin or neck pain that had tried loads of other therapists and therapies, and no one had picked up asymmetrical sub talar pronation or arch heights that caused the problem further up. How frustrating.

A medial rotation and tilt of the talus or a collapse of the longitudinal arch will create a leg length imbalance. From there the rest is all down hill. Rub the sore back, adjust the spine or whatever and short term relief is all your clients will get.

I am no genius, and I got sick of this problem and so I referred clients out for orthotics and the problems seemed to resolve with a post fitting massage treatment......until two or so years later, when despite wearing the orthotics (which looked ok), the same complaints returned.

O dear - now what? The human being is highly adaptive to stimulus and will adapt negatively to a lack of it. The clients had become reliant on the orthotic so they were bored with the orthotic stimulus and they didn't wear them when it was hot weather. Now it was my problem as their therapist.

What to make of all of this? See the next post or contact me about running a 'Footwear - Neccessity or Nonsense' lecture and workshop in your area (Massage therapists only). More about this next post.