WHO NEEDS FOOTBEDS? NO ONE

There are some who can benefit from footbeds or orthotics and some who do actually need them. But these groups are the rare exception. And they are unlikely to be skiers.

Orthotics. The pros / cons of orthotics in today’s society!

In a recent YouTube video (1.), Podiatrist & Human Movement Specialist, Dr Emily Splichal, explores the concept of orthotics and their role in today’s society. Dr. Splichal doesn’t pull any punches when she says:

“…..I have been through the conventional podiatric school and been fed pretty much the bullshit from podiatry of how every single person needs to be in orthotics, that our foot is not able to support itself without orthotics……if we do not use orthotics our foot is going to completely collapse  and you are going to lose your arch…….”

“……Our foot is designed to support itself. If we actually needed orthotics, we would be born…..we would come out of the womb, with orthotics on our feet.”

Meantime, The Foot Collective  asks (2.) Are you promoting weak feet?

  • Anything you use for artificial support at the feet (footwear with arch support & orthotics) your brain takes into account and accommodates for it.
  • That means if you provide your foot support your brain shuts down the natural arch supporters to reduce un-necessary energy expenditure.
  • Stop using support to help with pronation and understand why your feet pronate in the first place – because they are weak.
  • Strong feet = strong foundation = strong body.

The Real Source of Support for the Arch

Ray McClanahan, D.P.M. offers a perspective on the issue of Arch Support in his post on the CorrectToes blog (3.)

Are Custom Footbeds and Orthotics better than stock insoles?

In his post of August 20, 2017, Custom Foot Orthotics; No Better Than Stock Insoles (4.), Rick Merriam, of Engaging Muscles, explores the issue of orthotics in depth.

Prior to being told that supportive insoles are the way to go, I think it’s safe to say that all of those people didn’t know what they didn’t know.

The erroneous assumption that every skier needs footbeds or orthotics was made at a time when little  was known about the function of the foot and lower limb, especially in late stance. I was one of those who didn’t know what I didn’t know when initially when down the ‘the foot needs to be supported in skiing’ road up until I realized what I didn’t know and took steps to acquire the requisite knowledge.

Footbeds; is anyone checking what they do?

In 2000, I formed a company called Synergy Sports Performance Consultants (5). Synergys’ product was high quality information. One of my partners, UK Podiatrist, Sophie Cox, was trained by Novel of Germany and was one of the few experts in the world at that time on the Pedar system. Synergy did not make and/or sell footbeds or orthotics. Instead, we checked the effect of footbeds on skier performance. We performed a quick footbed check for a minimal fee of $20 using the sophisticated Novel Pedar pressure analysis technology.

Synergy was one of the first companies in the world to use the Novel Pedar pressure analysis system synchronized to video to acquire data on skier performance and analyze the captured data.  The Synergy team with diverse expertise studied the effect of ski boots and custom insoles on skier performance and identified functional issues in the body that needed to be addressed. It was a common finding that custom footbeds were significantly compromising skier performance, especially the ability to create the necessary platform under the foot on which to stand and balance on the outside ski.

Synergy offered a comprehensive 5 Step Performance Program that started with a footbed check. A key component was item 2., the Biomechanical Check.

With increasing recognition of the negative effect of most footwear on the user and criticism of the unproven claims made for footbeds and orthotics coming hard and fast, credibility in skiing is rapidly going downhill. It is time for proponents of custom insoles for ski boots to support their claims with solid evidence, especially evidence supported with data acquired during actual ski maneuvers. The technology to do this has existed since at least the year 2000.

  1. https://youtu.be/CIRf9WHmMXI
  2. http://www.thefootcollective.com
  3. https://www.correcttoes.com/foot-help/articles-studies/arch-support/
  4. http://www.engagingmuscles.com/2017/08/20/custom-foot-orthotics/
  5. DIGITAL SALVATION FOR THE SOLE [BACK TO THE FUTURE] –  http://wp.me/p3vZhu-24g

THE MECHANICS OF EDGE CHANGE

Comments made by followers of my blog suggest that significant confusion exists 0n the meaning of terms and representations of mechanics, biomechanics and physics used in typical explanations of ski technique and ski mechanics. In particular, there appears to be confusion between pressure and the representation of point forces.

Pressure is a physical force applied to an object that is distributed over the surface of the object.

Center of Pressure or COP is the point center of ground reaction force opposing a corresponding center of applied force acting on a object supported on the ground or a stable surface that acts in the capacity of ground in terms of providing a source of reaction force.

Torque or Moment of Force results from an offset between the centers of opposing physical forces acting on either side of an object.  This offset results in a torque or moment arm that tends ti create rotation about a center. When one force has a greater magnitude than the other force, rotation of the object will occur around the point of rotation.

Why typical balance explanations of skier balance are wrong

Balance in skiing is often depicted as a simple alignment of opposing point forces, usually a resultant force R acting in opposition to a snow reaction force S. The mechanics that make the edges of a ski grip are often shown as a simple alignment of opposing forces acting a single point on the edge. Explanations of this nature are physically impossible. What the authorities in skiing seem to conveniently be ignoring is the fact that pressure is applied by the snow along the entire running surface of the edge in contact with the the snow while an opposing area of pressure applied by the weight of the skier is acting on the body of the ski with an offset between the two centers of pressure. The authorities in skiing also seem to conveniently ignore what is arguably the key even in establishing a platform under the outside ski for the skier to stand and balance on, edge change.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s Get Over It drill on the Burke Mountain YouTube site makes a good segue to an explanation of the Mechanics of Edge change in the my next post – https://youtu.be/Bh7KF49GzOc

Bridget Currier is the model every skier should aspire to. She perfectly executes what I call the skimove. The skimove engages the external forces at ski-flat/edge-change to drive multi-plane torques acting about her outside ski into the turn while setting up a solid platform under her outside foot for her to stand on. Magnificent! This video should have at least a million views.

My comment from 2 years ago

Note carefully Currier’s stance in balance on her new outside ski, in particular, the angle of her torso with the snow. This is key to loading the ball of her outside foot.

Note carefully Shiffrin’s comment to move forward onto her new ski and how she used to think the movement was a lateral (sideways) move.

Most important of all – Patient Initiation. The reason? Shiffrin and Currier, don’t tip their outside ski on edge. They rock it on edge with a rocker impulse loading mechanism. The sequence is Rock, Roll n’ Rotate then Rotate the outside leg.

ERROR IN LAST POST ON EVERSION

In my last post, I erroneously stated that the sole turns inward, towards the center of the body, in eversion. I meant to state that the sole turns outward, away from the center of the body, in eversion.

I have revised the paragraph in my post so it reads correctly.

In order for the torso and Center of Mass to stack vertically over the ball of the foot, the sole of the foot must turn outward, away from the center the the body. This is called eversion. It is enabled by the joint that lies below the ankle called the sub-talar joint. The sub-talar joint is tied to the tibia where it acts as a torque converter. When the foot everts or inverts, the sub-talar joint translates this on an approximately 1:1 ratio into internal or external vertical axial rotation of the leg.

I apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

OUTSIDE SKI BALANCE BASICS: STEP-BY-STEP

In view of the positive response to my recent posts and comments I have received, I have decided to take a step-by-step approach to explaining the mechanics and biomechanics of balance on the outside ski.

I am going to start the process by comparing balance on one foot to balance on two feet. I refer to balance on one foot as monopedal stance (one foot) and balance on two feet as bipedal stance (two foot). The graphics are for illustrating general principles only.

The graphic below shows monopedal stance on the left and bipedal stance on the right. Orange hash marks delineate the alignment of major body segments. Black reference lines on the right leg of both figures show the angle of the leg in relation to the ground.

In order to transition from a balanced position in bipedal stance to a balanced position in monopedal stance, either the foot must move towards the L-R center of the torso or the torso must move towards the foot that will become the stance foot, or a combination of the 2 movements must occur. The central issue is the amount of inertia acting on the torso. In skiing, due to the degree of inertia, the new outside foot of a turn is normally guided into position under the torso as the skier or racer approaches the fall line in the top of a turn.

Moving the foot into position under the Centre of Mass so it stacks in line with the ball of the foot usually takes an inward movement (adduction) of the leg from the pelvis of 6 to 7 degrees. In the upper left figure in monopedal stance, the leg is adducted 6.5 degrees and has formed a varus or outward leaning angle with the ground.

If the leg only adducted, then the sole of the foot would end up at an angle of 6.5 degrees with the ground and the figure would end up on the outer edge of the foot; on the little toe side. In order for the torso and Center of Mass to stack vertically over the ball of the foot, the sole of the foot must turn outward, away from the center the the body. This is called eversion. It is enabled by the joint that lies below the ankle called the sub-talar joint. The sub-talar joint is tied to the tibia where it acts as a torque converter. When the foot everts or inverts, the sub-talar joint translates this on an approximately 1:1 ratio into internal or external vertical axial rotation of the leg.

When the foot everts, the subtalar joint rotates the vertical axis of the leg towards the center of the body an equivalent amount; in the subject case, 6.5 degrees.

The combination of eversion/internal vertical axial rotation of the leg is called pronation. If either of these actions is interfered with, or worse, prevented, it is impossible to create the alignment necessary to stack the torso and Center of Mass over the ball of the support foot.

The consistently stated objective of footbeds is either to limit or even prevent pronation. Put another way, the whole idea of footbeds is to make it difficult or even impossible to balance on the outside foot and ski.

If this issue is not crystal clear, please post comments as to what is needed.

ADDENDUM TO THE ORIGINS OF KNEE ANGULATION

The intent of my last post was to create an awareness of the lower limb alignment indicative of stability and how a lack of stability, whether intrinsic or caused by footwear, especially ski boots, will cause a skier to default to the use of knee angulation in what will be a failed attempt to hold the edge of the outside ski.

A skier will be unable to develop the requisite biomechanics to balance on their outside ski if they lack stability in barefoot monopedal stance under the minimal challenges associated with a flat, level unperturbed surface. If they lack lower limb/pelvic stability, there could endless combinations of causes which is why I listed a number of resources to help address this deficiency.

If a skier/racer exhibits good to excellent  stability under this basic test and they become unstable with the addition of any form of footwear, it suggests, but does not unequivocally prove, that the footwear is the cause. In more 4 decades of working with skiers and racers at all levels, I have consistently found that I can turn monopedal stability off and on at will. That I can do this without limitation, is indicative of cause and effect. In the 2 world class racers I am presently working with, even a small change in a liner or the over-tensioning of a shaft buckle or power strap has an immediate and noticeable effect on outside limb/pelvic stability and balance.

A key exercise I like to use with racers and elite skies I am working with is the vertical stacking exercise shown in the graphic below. This exercise is performed by starting from bipedal stance with the feet stacked under the heads of the femurs and the head and torso vertical and then making fluid arcing movement of the COM over the ball of the big toe while keeping the torso and head stacked vertically and the pelvis and shoulders horizontal as indicated by orange vertical and horizontal references in the graphic below. The torso should be aligned with the transverse or frontal plane, square with the foot.

A lack of stability in the biokinetic chain is typically evidenced by a drop of the opposite side of the pelvis and a leaning in the opposite direction of the torso and/or the head or both. While this reduces the load on the pelvis side of the  leg it creates a myriad of issues. Inside hip drop will cause the inside leg of a turn to assume the load as the skier inclines thus creating further instability on the outside leg.

Elite skiers and racers like Shiffrin are able to get over it (find stability on their outside foot and ski) in milliseconds. This enables them to retract the inside foot and ski with knee flexion as they incline into a turn similar to the mechanics cyclists use when they corner; outside leg extends, inside leg retracts.

The vertical stacking exercise is best performed in front of a mirror.

THE ORIGINS OF KNEE ANGULATION

A recent post on the Foot Collective Facebook page titled, Are you stable on 1 leg?, advises that if  you stand on one leg and look like the top row of pictures in the graphic below (red X), you have a foot & hip that are dysfunctional. This test is best done barefoot on a hard, flat, level surface.

Graphic with permission of Correct Toes

The lower photo (green checkmark) shows the alignment of a leg that is torsionally balanced (stiffened) in the ankle and knee joints. The foot and knee cap align straight ahead and square with the pelvis while the alignment of the knee with the foot, leg and thigh is substantially linear. If you can move to single limb support from two feet, easily achieve this alignment with minimal effort, sustain it for 30 seconds or more, and achieve similar alignment on both left and right legs, you probably have good stability in single limb support.

If you look like the upper photo (red x), it indicates dysfunction and especially a lack of torsional stability in the support limb. The problem is usually caused by constrictive, supportive, cushioned footwear and/or arch supports that, over time, deform feet and weaken the arches. Ski boots are one of the worst offenders in this regard.

If you and when you can achieve good stability in single limb support, you are ready to test the effect of footwear, especially your ski boots. Start by putting on your day to day footwear. Then do the same test on the same surface with each pair of shoes. Work your way up to your ski boots. Adjust the closures of your ski boots to the tension you normally set for skiing. If you are not able to quickly and easily assume the stable position shown in the lower photo (green checkmark), then you know that cause  is the footwear. You can then test the effects of insoles, including ski boot footbeds by removing them from the footwear, placing them on the test surface and moving to single leg support. While not perfect, these tests will help determine the cause of single support limb instability.

In skiing, an unstable outside support leg is characteristics of most skiers and even racers at the World Cup level. It is typically caused by ski boots interfering with the physiological processes that fascially tension the arches and forefoot that create the triplanar torsional stability of the ankle and knee joints of the biokinetic chain necessary to set up a platform under the outside ski to stand and balance on. But instead of addressing the underlying cause, the ski industry invented the term, knee angulation. Knee angulation is indicative of unbalanced torques acting about the uphill edges of the skis, especially the outside ski. When unbalanced torques are present about the edges of a skis or skis, unbalanced torques will also be present across the joints of the lower limb; not a good thing.

The alignment of the knee illustrated in the lower image (green checkmark) is seem as skier or racer enters the fall or rise line with outside leg extended, confirms the existence of a platform under the outside foot on which the skier or racer is balancing on with dynamic balance of torques across the joints of the ankle foot complex and knee. See my post MIKAELA SHIFFRIN AND THE SIDECUT FACTOR – http://wp.me/p3vZhu-1Uu

There is an abundance of information on programs to correct foot deformities,  muscle weakness and imbalances on web sites, YouTube and FaceBook groups such as The Foot Collective, Correct Toes, Feet Freex and the Evidence Based Fitness Academy – EBFA (Dr. Emily Splichal).

The Foot Collective web site has a series of posts on An Introduction to Feet and Footwear (1.) as well as a series of Foot-Casts (2.)

Meantime, a post on a web site called Rewire Me (3.) has an interview with Dr. Emily Splichal called No Shoes Allowed in which she discusses the importance of sensory information entering the body and the need to be able to process this information and handle the load and impact. Dr. Splichal suggests starting the process by getting the body and foot accustomed to sensory information without shoes acting as a barrier.

An excellent free paper with great graphics is The foot core system: a new paradigm for understanding intrinsic foot muscle function (4.)

  1. http://www.thefootcollective.com/an-introduction-to-feet-and-footwear/
  2. http://www.thefootcollective.com/footcast/
  3. https://www.rewireme.com/roses-blog/shoes-allowed/
  4. http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/49/5/290.full#xref-ref-39-1

SHOE/LINER HACKS

There is no point in continuing my discussion of the mechanics of balance on the outside ski because the odds are great that ski boots are preventing most skiers from engaging the mechanics required to apply the torsional forces to a ski with which to establish a balance platform under the outside foot.

In the scheme of things, an essential first step is to adapt the ski boots to functional needs of the skier as opposed to forcing the skier to adapt to the limitations imposed on them by the ski boots. Tightly fitting, supportive ski boots and most conventional constricting, cushioned, supportive footwear actually makes the feet weaker while compromising postural alignment and balance. There is an emerging global movement that is recognizing conventional footwear as THE problem behind compromised foot function while creating a ‘perceived need’ for cushioned soles  and artificial support in the form of custom insoles and orthotics which, instead of solving functional issues in the feet, lower limbs and entire body, further weaken the biokinetic chain.

The links below are to 3 articles that speak to this subject.

ORTHOTICS OR NOT => OUR LIMITING FOOT BELIEFS ARE HURTING US – http://kristinmarvinfitness.com/orthotics-or-not-our-limiting-foot-beliefs-are-hurting-us/

YOU WERE BORN WITH PERFECT FEET – https://www.correcttoes.com/foot-help/feet-101/

STRENGTHENING VS. SUPPORTING: THE COMPETING LOGIC OF FOOT HEALTH – https://www.correcttoes.com/foot-help/strengthening-vs-supporting-competing-logic-foot-health/

There is currently a whole series of Foot-Cast Episodes on The Foot Collective site at – http://www.thefootcollective.com

see – THE HUMAN GUIDEBOOK FOR SWITCHING TO BAREFOOT FOOTWEAR

A good starting point is to acquire a sense of how day-to-day footwear compromises foot and lower limb function and the modifications or ‘hacks’  necessary to adapt the footwear to the functional needs of the user.

A recent post on the Correct Toes blog called ‘How to Modify Your Shoes to Better Fit Your Feet’ (1.), comments on a runner who was experiencing distracting numbness and tingling in her feet, but balked at allowing her coach to make a few cuts in the upper material of her shoes to relieve the tension that was causing her problem. Most people are uneasy with the idea of modifying footwear. They tend to readily accept standard, off the shelf shoe size fit and assume that the way a shoe fits (or doesn’t) fit their foot is the way it is supposed to fit.

I recently had a similar experience with a young ski racer whose toes were crunched up in her ski boots that were both too short and too narrow. The liners were especially bad. Like many of today’s young racers, early in her racing career, she had probably grown accustomed to the constraint imposed on her feet by her ski boots and had unconsciously learned to make her feet comfortable by standing with most of her weight on her heels. After a time, her body had come to accept this as ‘normal’. Once this happened, she became reluctant to make changes.

A ex-racer, who I worked with back in the 1970s, loaned the young racer a pair of her boots. The improvement in the racer’s skiing was immediate and remarkable. Her coach commented that she had made 6 months improvement in one day! Unfortunately, stories of skiers and racers whose foot function, balance and even the function of their entire body has been compromised by tightly fitting, supportive ski boots is common. But happy outcomes, such as this young racer experienced, are exceedingly rare.

The Correct Toes post offers some good suggestions on footwear modifications that are remarkably similar to those I have used for decades in both ski boot liners and in my own footwear. The reason the modifications are similar is that the end objective; creating a functional environment for the user by minimizing the negative impact of the footwear on foot function, is the same.

The series of photos that follow illustrate examples of modifications that can improve the functional fit of footwear. An easy modification is to reconfigure the lacing pattern. Just because a shoe has a specific set of lace eyelets does not mean they all are necessary. The 2 photos below are from the Correct Toes article.

Photo with permission of Correct Toes

The photos below are the lace hacks I made on my Xero Prio (left) and Lems Primal 2 (R).

One modification that the Correct Toes article does not mention is the use of lace locks. Lace locks allow lace tension to be regulated and maintained without the need to over tighten laces to prevent them from coming undone.

This is one form of lace locks on my Xero Prio.

This is another form of lace locks on my Lems Primal 2.

I also use Correct Toes to improve foot function.

Correct Toes, The Foot Collective, EBFA, Feet Freex, EM Sports and many others are advancing on a uniform front in lock-step with the makers of minimal shoes in recognizing the damage caused to feet by conventional footwear while moving towards a uniform standard for the design and construction of footwear that creates a functional environment for the foot, while minimizing the negative impacts associated with structures placed on the human foot. Technologies such as NABOSO hold the promise of advancing on barefoot function in what I like to call ‘Beyond Barefoot’.

It has long been my experience that liners are the most problematic aspect of most ski boots. When I worked exclusively with Langes, I often made extensive modifications to liners that included using a liner a size larger than the shell size and re-sectioning and/or re-sewing the forefoot to allow proper alignment of the big toe and adequate width for the forefoot to fully splay.

The biggest problem in ski boot liners is in the toe box, especially the shape of the toe end in that it forces the big toe inwards, towards the center of the foot.

A modification that the Correct Toes article suggests is to make small slits on the side of the footwear opposite the point where the foot needs more room to splay.

Photo with permission of Correct Toes

Cutting small slits along the base of a ski boot liner is the first hack I usually try. But in many cases, I find more drastic modifactions are necessary in order to obtain the width required for the foot to fully splay and the big toe to align properly.

The photos below are before (L) and after (R) modifications that were necessary to accommodate my wife’s feet. These are older race stock Lange liners which I fit to her extensively modified Head boot shells.

The photo below is of the modified liner from my Head World Cup boot.

For ‘shallow’ feet or feet with a low instep the Correct Toes article suggests adding tongue depressors along the top of the foot or under the laces to help fill the void and prevent the foot from lifting or sliding around.Photo with permission of Correct Toes

The photo is of forefoot/instep retention pad that applies a constraining load to the foot that is substantially perpendicular to the transverse plane of the boot board. This device is similar to the one that powered Steve Podborksi to the podium in World Cup Downhill races. Today, Steve remains the only non-European to have ever won the World Cup Downhill title.

I devoted a large portion of my US Patent 5,265,350 to laying the groundwork for a functional standard that could evolve and eventually be applied to all forms of footwear, but especially ski boots. There are encouraging signs that the ski industry has finally started to take baby steps in this direction. I will discuss this in my next post.

  1. https://www.correcttoes.com/foot-help/modify-shoes-better-fit-feet/