Medical Corner

What does it all mean?

Do you ever go to a medical professional and the words they use confuse you even more than what is wrong with you?

It is important to have some idea of what things mean when your podiatrist tells you to “get a motion control shoe”.

So here are some words and their exact meanings to help you better understand the fit process at Fleet Feet Syracuse.

Let’s start with the phrase I used in the opening…a motion control shoe. All that means is the shoe will have a posting on the medial side of the shoe to help the foot remain stable. What do posting and medial mean?

Posting refers to a part of the midsole that is in its most neutral movement pattern. In Brooks, this is the Guiderail ™ technology. The Medial is the middle or center edge of the shoe in the arch area of the foot. Its opposite is Lateral, the outside edge.

Twice now I have used the word stable, here is the broadest meaning. 

"The quality, state, or degree of being stable: such as. a: the strength to stand or endure firmness. b: the property of a body that causes it when disturbed from a condition of equilibrium or steady motion to develop forces or moments that restore the original condition."

Stable and Balance are similar.  "As we stand, our body naturally wants to be in balance/stable. A gust of wind comes along, and we might lose balance. As we move our foot, stability comes from putting the heal down and moving through the toes. If our foot “wobbles” one way or the other, this may be why you need a motion control shoe.

This “wobble” in medical terms is this. Supination means that when you walk, your weight tends to be more on the outside of your foot. Pronation means that when you walk, your weight tends to be more on the inside of your foot. These words might be used when talking about your gait cycle. Which is your natural movement pattern that is determined as you start to move as a child. Some medical professionals even say supination/pronation is the actual rotation of the entire leg starting in the hip.

This movement now needs to be addressed by understanding the term mobility. Mobility is the ability to move or be moved freely and easily. When we run, walk, or move in general, can we do it without pain and discomfort? The more we stretch and keep our muscles loose the easier it is for us to remain mobile.

But what is the difference between being in “pain” and having “an injury”. This goes back to the term “gait cycle”. If we overdo it, one day, we may have sore muscles. We might take some pain relief medication to help with the problem. But if this pain continues and starts to affect our gait cycle, we might become “immobile”, this is an injury. Often, you may hear “push to the pain but not through it”.

If you do experience an injury, it is important to visit a medical to get a proper diagnosis, where you may hear them use words like stability/mobility, pronation/supination. When you do visit and hear these words, you will know the meaning.

Next time, we will learn to spell words like plantar fasciitis. 

For more information on our, Medical Outreach Program click here.