Foot Type (Shape and Volume)
The feet come in many shapes and many different volumes. There are feet with very high arches and feet with very low or flat arches.
Feet that are generally very flat, or have a very low arch may be categorized as a pronated, or over-pronated foot. Generally, feet with very high arches and a more stable foot, would be categorized as a supinated foot. There are exceptions to these situations, some flat feet that are very stable and then there are some high-arched feet that can be very unstable.
Pronated feet are much more unstable and collapsed and are more adaptive. Supinated feet are much stronger, more rigid, less adaptive and more stable.
As pronation has a positive function within the foot, supination has a positive function within the foot. We need both of these functions within the foot to walk and stand in the environment that we live and work in.
The primary function of the foot is to be rigid and supportive so that it can hold the body vertical and propel the body forward when we walk.
The secondary function of the foot is to adapt to uneven terrain and also absorb shock when the foot hits the ground.
The functions of pronation and supination play a very important role in the foot's ability to adapt and propel the body in many different situations. When we walk, the foot goes through pronation and then supination, and then continues that process. We pronate, supinate, pronate, supinate, from step to step. This is the foot's ability to absorb shock, adapt to the terrain, and then convert to a rigid lever so it can propel the body forward.
Many people consider pronation a negative situation. If it is properly supported and controlled, it can be a tremendous asset to how the body functions. That is the purpose of a good footbed or orthotic: to stabilize the foot so that there is not an excessive amount of pronation taking place, so there is the proper amount of pronation that the individual needs to function properly.
The volume generally associates itself with the shape of the foot. For instance, if you have a high volume foot: this would be a foot that has a very wide forefoot across the ball of the foot, a very wide heel, and a high instep (which is the top of the foot).
A low volume foot would be considered a very narrow, skinny foot that would have a very narrow forefoot, and an instep on top of the foot that is a little bit lower in its height, but not necessarily flat. It would also be associated with a very narrow heel area.
You can have a high volume foot with a high arch, or you can have a high volume foot with a flat arch. You can have a low volume foot with a high arch, or you can have a low volume foot with a flat arch.
The volume of the foot does not necessarily associate itself with the height and shape of the arch on the bottom of the foot.
In regards to arch height, you can have a very high arch, which could be associated with a very stable foot, which is most common. You can have a low arch, which is associated with a very unstable, pronated, mobile foot, also quite common.
There are some exceptions where you can have a very flat foot, very little or no arch, and the foot can be very stable. You can have a foot with an extremely high arch and the foot can be very unstable.
These are just some of the basic foot types and functions that are dealt with in regards to the application of footbeds in shoes to improve the quality of people's lives.
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