How you move, how you walk, how you stand—it all starts with your foundation, your feet. Dr. Karyn Staples, PT PhD, Owner of ProHealth Physical Therapy and Pilates Studio has put together a workshop on September 8 at 6:30 p.m., Footloose and Ankle Free, on the mechanics and function of the foot and ankle—including Pilates-based exercises to improve ankle congruency and mobility.
Dr. Staples says attendees will be able to learn more about their body, about the structure of their foot and ankle, “and we’ll take it through more advanced movements, whether it’s fitness or daily life activity. They will learn some exercises to help with mobility of the foot and ankle. They’re going to learn alignment that will help with other exercises that they might be doing in life.”
The most important thing about Footloose and Ankle Free, according to Dr. Staples, is that people will be able to experience the movement and apply it right away to improve their own foot and ankle placement. It’s an approach of hear, see and do, all in one presentation.
Why should people care about their foot and ankle alignment? “When they have poor alignment in the part that’s on the ground, it then causes changes to the rest of the leg up into the back, what we call the kinetic chain. So depending on how your foot and ankle are lined up, it could potentially be leading to some pain up into the lower back, just because the body has to make compensations.
“Our foot has to be able to be a shock absorber when we’re walking and moving, and if it’s not able to take that load, then there’s going to be something else up the chain that will start having breakdown or pain,” said Dr. Staples.
Dr. Staples teaches that there’s a better way to create operational efficiency in the body. “Our bodies want to move with the least amount of effort possible. As long as it seems to be going okay, it’ll continue on that path. When in fact, there’s a better way for it to move and be efficient.”
Footloose and Ankle Free is Tuesday, September 8 at 6:30 p.m., and can be attended in person at ProHealth, 1777 Georgian Park in Peachtree City, or virtually via Zoom. Preregistration is required. It is $30 or your gift with the purchase of any Pilates Package at ProHealth Physical Therapy and Pilates Studio. For tickets and packages call 770-487-1931.
Dr. Karyn Staples has been a Physical Therapist for 22 years. Her PhD is in Orthopedics and Sports Science, so looking at the joints in the body and fixing their function through related exercises is her expertise.
For Dr. Staples, the function of the foot and ankle impacts activities of daily living for her patients. And she sees it often. “We tend to be a sedentary society, so our ankles get very stiff and lose the ability to pull the foot up, which is called dorsiflexion. Being able to do that plays a role in how the rest of our leg functions, like being able to bend down and get dishes in and out of the dishwasher, or able to go up and downstairs.”
It’s not normal to have pain when standing, or when you first get out of bed in the morning and your feet hit the floor. Dr. Staples and her team of physical therapists at ProHealth work with patients to fix these problems, before a patient loses mobility altogether. “To no longer have pain and to move with greater ease is huge, because as adults, walking on two feet is what we do. When you take that ability away, we create more sedentary-ism. And then all of a sudden it’s, ‘I can’t do this for myself. I can’t do these things.’ And then it starts to go down a spiral.”
Dr. Staples loves being part of the transformation. “Take somebody that can’t walk for exercise, or even walk across their own home, to be able to give them that sense of, ‘Wow, I can actually do this and I can get my own food. I can go get up in the morning, and my first thing when I put my feet on the ground isn’t this sawing, ripping pain.’ It’s pretty dramatic.”
“Knowing that every single time you’re going to stand up it’s going to hurt, especially with the part of the body that has to touch the ground, can be quite debilitating.”
For those who are interested in having their particular foot or ankle pain treated by a ProHealth physical therapist, call 770-487-1931 for an appointment.
For those not experiencing active pain, Dr. Karyn Staples suggests that Pilates can be the ideal exercise to strengthen the whole body, including the ankle joints. That’s why she offers Pilates group classes and one-on-one sessions with Pilates instructors at her studio. “The presentation looks at one component of the body, but we are this symphony of parts coming together. Pilates is a whole-body activity.”
Footloose and Ankle Free is Tuesday, September 8 at 6:30 p.m., and can be attended in person at ProHealth, 1777 Georgian Park in Peachtree City, or virtually via Zoom. Preregistration is required. It is $30 or your gift with the purchase of any Pilates Package at ProHealth Physical Therapy and Pilates Studio. For tickets and packages call 770-487-1931.
