The Foot Centering
Theory™,
A New Paradigm for Practicing Wellness Biomechanics™
Developed by Dennis Shavelson, D.P.M.
The human foot is the engineering wonder that enables us to
stand, walk, run, jump, play and perform work. DaVinci stated that the foot is
“the most human of all of our organs’ as no other living animal has an appendage
that fits together and performs with the mastery of the human foot.
Unfortunately, because of the stress of gravity, shoes and the rigors of daily
life, feet are not capable of providing a lifetime of balanced healthy function
because they are not centered.
There are twenty six bones in each foot. Each bone is
unique in size and shape. The foot can be divided into three main sections, 
The
Rearfoot (Back), the Forefoot (Front) and the Digits (Toes). The Rearfoot and
Forefoot serve as the pillars of the “Vault of the Foot” (Figure 1) which must
support, shock absorb and provide movement through the foot to the posture.
Muscles, which begin either in the leg or the foot, insert into one or more of
the foot bones as fibrous tendons and provide leverage, mobility and assist the
bones in providing stability as they contract and expand. Ideally, they cement
the pillars into a supportive arched position that once locked allow them to
perform movement and work. This means that the Vault of the Foot can be rigid
and supportive or flexible and adaptive or any combination of the two in order
to allow us to get from point A to point B, move backwards, move from side to
side, move up and down and provide balanced static stance.
Foot Centering™
compares architectural arches and vaults to the “Dynamic Arches of the Foot”
and the “Vault of the FootTM” and serves
as a new paradigm for profiling and classifying feet that upgrades and replaces
existing theories for diagnosing and treating feet with custom foot beds (orthotics)
and corrective foot surgery..
Architectural Arches and Vaults
In archit
ecture,
arches are permanent structures composed of two symmetrical pillars connected by
a central keystone at its highest point. Architectural arches have only one
function which is support. When an arch is constructed, a wooden base called a
Centring is fabricated in the shape of the desired arch. Stones are laid down
upon the Centring and cemented in place. Once hardened, the Centring is removed
and the resulting arch supp
orts
weight and stress on its own indefinitely (figure 2).
Furthermore, when more than one arch is jointed, the roof
that forms in their common area is known as a Vault. Vaults are stabilized by
their arches and so they are strong and able to support a great deal of weight
for long periods of time but it would be an impossible engineering feat to get
an architectural arch or vault to move.
In
the human foot, there are two distinct longitudinal dynamic arches and many
transverse dynamic arches that together form the sides and roof of “The Vault of
the Foot”.
Because the foot must adapt to different ground surfaces
as well as move itself and the posture in addition to providing support, nature
had to alter the architectural arch. The rearfoot pillar is short and the
forefoot pillar is long and the keystone is off center and not at the highest
point of the arch . This means that in order to provide function, the arches
and vault of our feet are off center.
When
examining large numbers of feet, some feet have a Rearfoot type that is very
stable while others have a Rearfoot type that is very flexible and many exist in
between. Also, while some feet have a Forefoot type that is very stable, others
have a Forefoot type that is very flexible and many exist in between. In
summary, some feet are unable to provide the posture support while others lack
the flexibility needed to function with balance and power and some feet fail
when it comes to both support and function.
Like
inherited blood types, utilizing a few simple tests, a persons’ Functional
Foot Type® can be determined.
Each foot type has its own set of predictable strengths and weaknesses,
deformities and foot and postural problems. Once you are foot typed at
The Foot Typing Center®, preventive care
and treatment of foot and postural deformity, pain and overuse syndromes, shoe
fit and performance issues can be initiated, foot type-specific in the form of
Foot Centering Pads, Foot Centrings™
and Muscle Engine Training.
The chart shows the five most common Functional Foot
TypesTM both off and on the ground.
(Which functional foot type™ does your family possess?)
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