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Does Nutrition Impact Postural Biomechanics?
I have come to the conclusion, after many years of clinical and research experience and countless hours of discussion with my wife (who has been an advocate of holistic medicine and good nutrition for over 30 years) that postural biomechanics is impacted by nutrition.
In 2002, in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, I published a paper describing a previously unrecognized embryological foot type (the Primus Metatarsus Supinatus foot). Subsequent studies have linked this foot type to poor posture and the development of chronic musculoskeletal pain.
But what causes this embryological foot type to develop? Could it be linked to poor nutrition in the gravid mother, especially during the 1st trimester when the framework of the foot is established? Interesting enough, Price1 has suggested a similar link between poor nutrition and the narrowing (underdevelopment) of the dental arch.
Fast and highly processed food may have a greater impact on our lives than simply changing our eating habits!
Concurrently, I believe shoes are a contributing (e.g., not primary) factor in the development of postural distortions. The foot was designed to walk barefooted which allows the intrinsic muscles of the foot to function and maintain their strength (as you walk, the toes are able to grasp the sand or soft ground). In shoes, especially with hard innersole surfaces, this cannot occur. The toes cannot function as they do barefooted, and hence the intrinsic muscles of the foot become weaker. This is compounded by the fact that many healthcare providers prescribe arch supports to help reduce the symptoms caused by a weak foot. Unfortunately, this only increases the problem. For example, for you put a cast around the knee, the muscles atrophy. Similarly, when you put an arch support underneath the foot, the intrinsic muscles of the foot atrophy.
With this triad of genetics, poor nutrition and shoes (with/without arch supports), postural distortions are becoming pandemic in our societies.
What can we do about this?
Ideally, improve the mother's nutrition during pregnancy and discard shoes.
Presently, I treat these children with proprioceptive activators, which strengthen the intrinsic muscles of the foot. Read more about proprioceptive activators (insoles) on this website.
1. Price WA, 1939. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. Price and Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, OnLine Bookstore. http://www.ppnf.org
