Transcription

• Speaker #0

  Welcome back to the deep dive. Let me start with a question, maybe a surprising one. What's the most overlooked yet totally vital part of your body for posture and movement? You might immediately think, oh, the back or the core. But today we're diving deep into something even more fundamental. Your feet. Yeah, these incredible things. We often forget about them until, you know, they hurt. But our deep dive today is going to show just how profoundly they affect, well, everything else. Our mission here is to unpack a really insightful article by Pilates expert Caroline Berger de Femini. It draws heavily on Florence Kendall's pioneering work in postural analysis. We're going to explore why starting with the feet is so critical for understanding and fixing imbalances through the whole body. Get ready for some real aha moments, I think. And we're about to uncover the foot's amazing structure, 26 bones, 33 joints, over 100 muscles, tendons, ligaments, incredible, and how its stability or maybe lack of stability echoes right up to your shoulders.

• Speaker #1

  It's so true. Florence Kendall's core idea, which is really central to this whole thing, it literally starts from the ground up. In any serious look at posture, her fundamental belief was you start down below with the feet. And it's not just about, say, fixing foot pain itself. It's about finding the real root cause of issues that might be showing up much higher in the body.

• Speaker #0

  Okay, let's unpack this a bit. So you're saying a problem like right down on my foot could literally be causing my knee pain. That seems... Almost too simple.

• Speaker #1

  It's absolutely central to Kendall's whole approach. It's key. What's really fascinating is how even a tiny misalignment in your feet can just ripple upwards. It creates this domino effect through your whole kinetic chain. Think about trying to build, I don't know, a tall building on shaky ground. That's kind of what your body does if your feet aren't giving you a solid base. A small shift right at the foundation and suddenly you can see effects way up. Knees, hips, maybe even those nagging shoulder or neck issues.

• Speaker #0

  And this isn't just theory, is it? The article ties it straight into Pilates, where you see this unstable foot support messing things up daily. It compromises posture, makes exercises less effective. It really shows the practical side of foot health.

• Speaker #1

  Exactly. A really common thing we see, and the article points this out, is maybe a painful knee that actually starts from a collapsing arch, you know, pronated foot. It just reinforces that key principle. Fix the base before you try messing with things higher up. Got to stabilize that foundation first.

• Speaker #0

  Right. Okay. Let's talk about that foundation. This is where it gets really interesting. Just the sheer number of tiny muscles working away down there, quietly doing their job. The foot's got these two main muscle groups, right? Extrinsic and intrinsic.

• Speaker #1

  That's right. So think of the extrinsic muscles as like the bigger movers. These are muscles that start up in your lower leg and then their tendons reach down and attach into the foot. They handle the larger, more powerful actions. For instance, muscles. On the front of your shin, they'll pull your foot up. Muscles on the side help turn your foot out. And then at the back in your calf, you've got the big ones, the gastrocnemius and soleus. People often call them the triceps surae. They're your main push-off muscles for walking, running, pointing your toes down.

• Speaker #0

  Okay, those are the big guys. What about the others, the intrinsic ones? Ah,

• Speaker #1

  the intrinsic muscles. These are really the unsung heroes. They are entirely inside the foot. They start there. They end there. They're the fine tuners. Super important for supporting your arch. helping you adjust to uneven ground, giving you that subtle control over your toes. They're arranged in four layers on the sole of your foot. It's like this complex network of tiny springs and levers, all working together for stability and shock absorption.

• Speaker #0

  Wow. It's just amazing how much is packed into such a small space. And all these muscles, bones, joints, they work together to allow for this huge range of movement we need just for getting around, for locomotion.

• Speaker #1

  Absolutely. Every main joint has its job. Your main ankle joint, the talo-curel joint, That allows for two key movements. Dorsiflexion, pulling your foot up towards your shin, like when your heel hits the ground. Right. And plantar flexion, pointing your toes down, like when you push off. Okay.

• Speaker #0

  Up and down? Right.

• Speaker #1

  Then just below that, you've got the subtalar and mediotarsal joints. They handle the twisting motions. So inversion is turning the sole of your foot inwards. Aversion is turning it outwards. And your forefoot and toes, they can also bend, straighten, spread apart that's abduct and come together. Adduct allows for really fine adjustments. And your big toe, the hallux, it's kind of special. It can act almost like a thumb, helping you grip and push off powerfully. And the arch itself, the plantar arch, through all these muscles working together, it can flatten out to absorb shock or lift up to become a rigid liver when you need to push off.

• Speaker #0

  So we've got this incredibly complex foundational structure. But how do we spot when things aren't quite right? Kendall's work points out these common postural patterns, these profiles. that often get missed but affect way more than just the feet.

• Speaker #1

  Precisely. And what's so useful about Kendall's approach is how she identified these specific structural patterns in the foot that can really impact the whole body. Really hammers home that idea of the foot as the body's foundation. For example, a flat pronated foot, probably one of the most common ones we see. You see a collapsed arch and the heel bone, the calcaneus, leans outwards. That's a valgus heel. Think of your ankle sort of rolling inwards. This often leads to the shin bone rotating inwards. And sometimes you see knee valgus, that knock-kneed look.

• Speaker #0

  Okay, that makes sense. What's the opposite?

• Speaker #1

  The opposite end is the piscavus or high arch supinated foot. Here, the arch is really exaggerated. and the heel bone leans inward. That's a variceal. This foot type is often more rigid, so it absorbs less shock naturally, and it tends to put more stress on the outside edge of the foot. The article also mentions things like abducted or adducted forefeet, where the front part of the foot points out or in, which changes how you walk. And hallux valgus, that the bunion, often linked to that chronic pronation, causing the big toe to drift outwards. And finally, extremes like ankle stiffness, so too rigid or hyperlaxity too loose. can really mess with your balance and control.

• Speaker #0

  It's incredible, really, how these specific foot shapes can have such widespread effects. So if we can spot these profiles, the next step is, how do we fix them? It boils down to knowing which muscles are weak or tight, doesn't it, to make a real difference?

• Speaker #1

  Exactly right. Each specific pattern Kendall described needs its own tailored plan, you know, for strengthening or stretching specific muscles. For instance, take that flat pronated foot. You'd really focus on strengthening the muscles that lift the arch, like the posterior tibialis in the back of your shin and those deep intrinsic foot muscles. And at the same time, you'd need to stretch the muscles on the outside of your lower leg and calf because they tend to get tight in that pattern.

• Speaker #0

  Strengthen the inside, stretch the outside.

• Speaker #1

  Sort of, yeah. And then conversely, for the pes cavus or high arched foot, the focus shifts. You'd work on strengthening those outer leg muscles, the fibularis, and some small foot muscles that help pull the big toe outwards. And you'd stretch the muscles that tend to pull the foot into that high arch, like the posterior tibialis again, but for a different reason. If the forefoot points out abducted, working the muscle on the front of the shin and the little muscles between the toes helps. If it points inwards, abducted, you activate different small toe muscles. For bunions, Alex Valgus, it's very targeted work on muscles that pull the big toe away from the others, while releasing the tight ones pulling it in. And for ankle stiffness, you'd strengthen the muscles that pull the foot up and out and definitely stretch those tight calf muscles.

• Speaker #0

  This brings up a really interesting point. For those of us doing Pilates already, are we kind of getting these benefits without fully realizing the impact on our feet? The article strongly suggests Pilates is ideal for this kind of re-education.

• Speaker #1

  Oh, absolutely. Pilates is fantastic for this because of all the different equipment and the real focus on how you move, the quality of movement. It makes you aware of your feet. Take the Reformer. When you do footwork consciously, really lining up your heel, bone, and knees correctly, you're directly firing up those deep arch-supporting muscles, stabilizing the ankle. Exercises like heel lower and lift are amazing for developing centric control of the calf muscles, controlling the lengthening. That's crucial for absorbing shock when you walk or run. And doing single leg presses, that immediately shows you if one side is weaker or less stable, helps correct those asymmetries.

• Speaker #0

  Right. And what about the other equipment, like the chair?

• Speaker #1

  Yeah, the chair. Things like controlled running on the chair build endurance in those outer leg muscles and improve stability with your foot in a neutral position, which is very functional. The unilateral press down, pushing one pedal down, engages your whole back line, your posterior chain, and gives great support to that inner arch. Then on the Cadillac, using the leg press spring lets you target specific muscles just by changing your foot position and doing ankle circles against spring resistance. Great for subtelar mobility and coordination.

• Speaker #0

  So even stuff on the mat, seemingly simple mat work, can be really powerful for the feet.

• Speaker #1

  Definitely. Mat work is incredibly effective. Exercise is like doming, where you actively create that short arch that specifically hits those vital intrinsic foot muscles, teaching them to lift and support. Toe yoga sounds a bit funny, maybe, but it develops fine motor control, getting each toe to move independently. It's harder than it sounds. I bet. And single leg balance, especially with eyes closed, really challenges and improves your proprioception. Your body's sense of where it is in space without looking. Like walking in the dark, you need that sense. Even bridges, if you focus specifically on how your feet are supporting you, that stability transfers right up into your pelvis. Shows the kinetic chain perfectly. And the article really highlights using resistance bands in mat work. It's an excellent way to strengthen all the foot muscles, the extrinsic ones from the leg and the intrinsic ones inside the foot. It improves proprioception, helps correct those candle misalignments. and strengthens the arches through simple things like moving your foot side to side or pointing and flexing against the band.

• Speaker #0

  Okay so this is all great information. What does it mean for us, you know, as learners? It sounds like it's about going beyond just doing exercises and really understanding how to build that strong foundation. The article lays out a pretty clear protocol inspired by Kendall.

• Speaker #1

  Yes, it's a very logical, staged approach. Stage one is evaluation and awakening. This is where you just observe your feet standing, moving. Then you start with simple things. Doming, feet parallel work, basic single leg balance. It's about awareness first.

• Speaker #0

  Becoming aware. Okay.

• Speaker #1

  Stage two is eccentric control. Building on stage one, you focus on exercises that control the lengthening phase of muscle contraction, like those heel lowers on the reformer, controlled running on the chair, maybe balance with eyes closed. This teaches your feet how to handle impact.

• Speaker #0

  Got it. Control the landing.

• Speaker #1

  Exactly. Stage three is integration and asymmetry correction. Now you start putting it all together using things like the Cadillac leg press spring, single leg work on the reformer, those toe yoga exercises. This is where you Really target any differences between your left and right side.

• Speaker #0

  Bringing it all together. And the final stage.

• Speaker #1

  Stage four, autonomy and prevention. This is about long-term health. It emphasizes having a consistent routine, maybe just a 10-minute daily circuit mixing these exercises. Plus, thinking about your shoe choices and regularly stretching your calves and the bottom of your foot, the plantar fascia, making it a hada.

• Speaker #0

  And how it's taught seems important too. Keeping instructions clear, maybe just three or four points per exercise.

• Speaker #1

  Absolutely. Clarity is key. And specifically naming the support points, heel, forefoot, arch, helps you connect. Also, that idea of fractionated learning. Isolate the foot movement first, then blend it into the bigger movement pattern. Using your breath helps cadence the movement and stabilize. And critically, always relating it back to daily life. How does this exercise help you walk better, run better, stand more comfortably? That's the goal.

• Speaker #0

  What an incredible journey right down to our foundations. We've seen how Kendall's detailed approach, illuminated through Pilates, gives us tools to really see and correct foot posture. We can strengthen the right muscles, sharpen that proprioception, and weave it all into how we move every day. And these changes, if we stick with them, they become lasting.

• Speaker #1

  It really reinforces that core message, doesn't it? Starting with the feet genuinely sets the stage for a balanced, capable body ready to move with, well, with more ease and freedom.

• Speaker #0

  So maybe as you go about your day-o-day, just take a moment. Think about the amazing work your feet are doing constantly. How often do you really tune in, really listen to them? What tiny conscious shift could you make to your stance or your step, now that you know all this? Could that create a more stable base for your whole body? This deep dive really shows that sometimes the smallest points of contact can make the biggest difference to our overall well-being.