Straight Walk

I was thinking about the aches and pains walking can bring on and a conversion I had with someone about to set off on the Camino sprang to mind. He had mentioned the Foot Alignment Clinic and how they analyse your gait with a sophisticated treadmill. So I looked them up and made an appointment.

Fi, still suffering from tendonitis, and I both met Neil one Saturday afternoon. I must say Neil is the nicest guy. He thoughtfully explained the process, which conditions it can alleviate and how it works.

Neil took us both through the gait analysis. It made a lot of sense to me so we had orthotics tailor made and a few days later they were in our boots.

The process basically puts your lower leg and foot back into its preferred biomechanical position – it straightens things up. My reasoning is this has got to be helpful when repeating over 30,000 steps day after day for 900km.

I have been using them for a few weeks now. They are comfortable and I’ve noticed my plantar fascia (tendon connecting heel bone to toes) is much less tense when I stretch in the morning. It’s early days yet but I’m hopeful it has been a good investment.