We've all been told things along the way with varying degrees of truth... Whether you're a seasoned triathlete, runner, cyclist, swimmer or just getting started, here are 5 of the most important things you need to know about your feet!

1. YOUR FEET EFFECT THE REST OF YOUR LEG

There’s a saying “when your foot hits the ground, everything changes. Strengthening your body in relationship to running and cycling related positions and how your muscles are used during those sports is important to keep yourself healthy.

2. ONE SHOE OR FOOT STRIKE PATTERN OPTION ISN’T ALWAYS BEST

You can't “get rid of” forces and impact. When you change to different types of shoes or foot strike patterns, you change where the forces go, not whether there are forces applied.

3. PRONATION WON’T “KILL” YOU.

Pronation or your foot collapsing inward is a natural and essential part of movement. If you don’t allow your foot to pronate enough you can negatively effect the way the rest of your muscles work in your legs.

4. PLANTAR FASCIITIS ISN’T THE ONLY REASON THE BOTTOM OF YOUR FOOT MIGHT HURT

Unfortunately “plantar fasciitis” has become a “catch-all” for any time a runner has pain on the bottom of their feet. This is unfortunate because there are MANY times that there’s something else going on and the standard recommendations for plantar fasciitis won’t help.

5. YOUR BODY WANTS TO PROTECT ITSELF...

Any time your body feels “threatened” it automatically responds to protect that area by creating an internal “brace.” When you have knee pain your body will naturally try to protect it by limiting it’s movement. You still want to move which puts your knee in a tug-o-war between what you want it to do and how it’s trying to protect itself. This is not a game of tug-o-war you want to play!

NOW WHAT?!

At this point you're probably thinking, "well, what do I do about it?" Luckily, we can help! Stay tuned to your email for helpful tips to take care of your knee pain. OR if you don't want to wait joinfacebook.com/groups/triforhealth so we can help you get started!

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