Is Your Foot a Chevy Volt or a Dodge Neon?

While in my car this weekend, I listened to an old favorite: Car Talk on NPR. As the boys went on to diagnose the caller’s car problem, I realized our feet are a lot like cars. They both have the daunting responsibility of getting us where we need to be. We use and abuse the poor things until they breakdown and leave us stranded. A smart car owner gets frequent tune ups. What does a smart foot owner do?

One of your tires is low on air. You don’t notice. You keep driving for mile and miles. Days, weeks, months go by and you forget to check your tire pressure. The pressure continues to decrease. The other three wheels have to make up for the one wheels lack to carry his share of the weight. Eventually, you start to feel a pull to the right as you drive. You attribute it to the wind. Your entire car is trying to compensate for your darn tire. Your gas mileage goes down. Your car is working harder trying to correct for the floppy misfit. You notice funny noises but the car continues to work so you continue to drive. Even if the tire goes completely flat, you could still get around. More and more damage slowly takes over your car until your vehicle has had enough and quits!

It sounds ridiculous to drive around with a flat tire so why do we walk around with a painful foot? We ignore the first signs of pain. We come up with a list of excuses to pretend the pain is not real. It must have been my shoes. I’m not use to playing 18 holes of golf. We think the pain will eventually go away. Our back starts to hurt, our knees are stiff. It must be old age. I work too hard. If I could just rest, I would feel better.

Just like a car, our foot is made of many parts. Our frame consists of 28 bones that are supported and made functional by a vast number of ligaments, tendons, fascia, and muscles. If any one part starts to give out or stops caring its weight, the rest of the foot pays. Pain is like your check engine light. Sometimes it is something silly like loose gas cap or a stubbed toe, but it can’t always be ignored or you’ll end up in a warranty or insurance battle.

It may be time to get a tune up on your feet. Chronic pain is not normal. I don’t care how long you stand at work or how many miles you run, your feet should not hurt. Would you describe your feet as your teenager’s Dodge Neon or the new electric car that is everlasting and futuristic? It is time for an upgrade. Soak your feet, get a car wash and put the for sale sign up; because it is time to test drive your feet back into health.