Footwear and the Spine: What Your Shoes Actually Do
How heel height, arch support, and sole stiffness affect lumbar lordosis, gait mechanics, and low back pain — and what research actually supports.
The spine does not operate in isolation. Every structure below it — the pelvis, hips, knees, ankles, and feet — participates in a continuous kinetic chain that transmits and absorbs force with every step. What happens at the foot influences what happens at the lumbar spine, and the interface between the foot and the ground is determined almost entirely by footwear.
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