Whether we are standing, walking or working out – our feet carry the burden of our body weight and stress during our daily movements. Often taken for granted, our feet need just as much of a recovery as the rest of our muscle groups. If recovery is neglected for too long, fatigue, tissue stress…
Category: General
Sensory Stacking | The integration of tactile, visual and auditory input
The seemingly simple task of balancing on one leg or walking across the room is actually a complex, integrated, multisensory experience with stimulation coming from the eyes, ears, joints and plantar foot. For this integration to occur, the various sensory inputs must ultimately converge on the same neurons. At the cortical level, it has been…
Somatosensory Development in Children
The somatosensory system is the part of the sensory system concerned with the conscious perception of touch, pressure, pain, temperature, position, movement, and vibration, all of which arise from the muscles, joints, skin, and fascia. In children, this complex system is crucial to the development of posture, movement, perception of self, emotion and social interactions. By understanding the way our…
Anchoring | The Mental Side of Performance
Mindset is everything. Period. As a former athlete, now CEO, I have come to greatly appreciate the power of the mind. If the mind isn’t in the game, neither are you. When it comes to performance, both athletic and in business, there is a technique that I’ve been using for years as a way to help…
Walking Speed – A Predictor of Longevity
Walking. The most foundational and functional movement pattern we do every day. This subconscious movement pattern is often taken for granted however the implications of poor walking metrics is actually a huge predictor of vitality and longevity. In fact a 2009 publication by Fritz et al. referred to gait as the 6th vital sign. Walking Speed, the Sixth Vital Sign According…
Can you feel your feet?
Can you feel your feet? Often taken for granted, our feet’ sensation is necessary for optimal movement, balance, and performance. Over 20 million adults in the United States live with decreased foot sensation, also known as peripheral neuropathy. From diabetes to multiple sclerosis and autoimmune disease, this peripheral loss of sensation contributes to over…
What’s Missing in Footwear Innovations
Air max, wave technology, carbon fiber plates – every year the billion dollar footwear market continues to grow exponentially due to new innovations and design by industry leaders such as Nike, Adidas and Reebok. One of the most disruptive innovations for the footwear industry was back in 2008 during the barefoot running boom when shoes…
How Foot Awareness Enhances Weight Transfer & Power in Golf
It is well known that weight transfer during a golf swing is necessary for optimizing power output. With the foot as the only contact point with the ground, this weight transfer is greatly linked to pressure distribution in the feet and an awareness of that pressure distribution. The Sensory Side of Foot Function The human foot…
How to Hack Nighttime Nerve Pain
Restless legs, burning pain, tingling in the toes, these are just a few of the peripheral nerve symptoms experienced by over 40 million adults in the United States. The distraction of these symptoms makes it difficult to focus during the day but imagine trying to get a good night’s sleep when you have the urge to…
Perfecting Your Point (aka Ankle Plantarflexion)
In last week’s Barefoot Strong Blog article I focused on optimizing ankle joint dorsiflexion, which honestly is most of the focus when it comes to the ankle joint and human movement. However, I wanted to take a chance to focus on the opposite movement, ankle joint plantar flexion. With the rise in body weight…