What is Functional or Natural Podiatry?

The General Concept of Natural Podiatry

This branch of podiatry was developed in recent years with the main focus on the natural function movement of the foot, which, let’s face it, has been working in such a great way for thousands of years, so why ignore it?  Functional podiatry is part of the musculoskeletal (MSK) side of podiatry, which basically affects anyone who has a foot. Some people have the misconception that we only treat athletes; on the contrary, the majority of our clientele is made up of people who do not train, run, or do lots of exercise.

There are many theories about why, in the past 100 years, we have done our best to fix the foot, stop the foot from moving, and squeeze such a phenomenal piece of machinery (i.e., the foot) into stiff and narrow shoes. Today I will not go into this, but we’ll focus more on what the whole thing about functional or natural podiatry is.

What Does a Functional Podiatrist Do?

A functional/natural podiatrist looks at foot function and foot pathology from a holistic and functional approach. Full movement assessments and a functional movement screen of both feet and the rest of the kinetic chain can be used to identify weaknesses, which could be affecting both the foot and the rest of the body. Moreover, we, as functional podiatrists, do our best to help clients regain the natural movement of the foot by using specific tools, exercises, and treatments. Having said this, yes, there are exceptions, and this also falls under the remit of the first consultation.

How to Be More Functional During the Day

People are slowly slowly understanding the importance of being functional – all throughout the day.

You might say, but I go to the gym! Perfect and well done but that’s hour or 2, maybe? What about the rest of the day? What type of footwear are you wearing? Do you sit all day?

Have you ever wondered why several smart watches also track your standing time? It’s all about being functional, mobile and at the end of the day healthy and strong. Let’s face reality… it’s kind of hard to keep a building upright on weak foundations and expect it to withstand the elements. Our body works in the exact same way; if you don’t have a very strong foundation (the foot) you cannot expect the rest of the body to work perfectly.  

We do our best to instill different options that help you be as functional as possible during your day – from standing desks or low desks, to a midday, quick foot exercise or a pair of toe spacers whilst you are taking an online meeting, and the lists and options go on and on.

Types of Foot Problems We Deal With

Clients who reach out to a natural podiatrist are curious about the whole barefoot movement. Some are fed up of having to wear hard insoles for years and finding it difficult to understand why they have been wearing them for so long, but don’t really feel any difference when they take them off.  

Some are just very informed about the subject and want to push their foot training to another level. Athletes that find themselves feeling a very weak base, although they train so hard. Bunion problems and ill-fitting footwear. Pain in the foot – like plantar fascitis, metatarsalgia or calf issues. Problems in toe movement or lack of movement, as well as problems with certain larger athletic movements like squatting, deadlifts, and lunges, or simply walking down the pavement of your street. All of these fall in the area of functional podiatry and we are here to help.  

SO if you find yourself stuck, reach out to our team and we can look into how you use your foot and other lower chain issues.