Back Pain

The Foot Connection

Michael E. Graham, DPM, FACFAS, FAENS

Back Pain Facts

Right now there are

over 31 million (31,000,000) Americans suffering with back pain.

50% of the work force complains of back pain symptoms each year.

Back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work.

1.2 billion (1,200,000,000) work days are lost each year due to chronic back and neck pain.

Back Pain Facts

The second most common reason for visits to the doctor is because of

back pain.

(1st upper respiratory problems)

Back Pain Facts

80% of the population will suffer from back pain at some time during their lives.

Back Pain Facts

Americans spend

$50 billion ($50,000,000,000)

trying to eliminate their back pain

every year.

Back Pain Facts

Nearly 1 million (1,000,000) spinal surgeries are performed a year in the US alone.

300,000 Americans have surgery for herniated disks @$10,000 a procedure.

A spinal fusion is $60,000 per procedure for hospital costs alone.

Back Pain Facts

In 2008, on an average day there were

20,000 visits to the emergency room for back pain and 6,500 individuals were

hospitalized.

That means 7,300,000 patients a year were treated at the emergency room and

2,372,500 were admitted.

Back Pain Facts

Let’s take a new look and try tofigure out why

more than1 in 7 adults

suffer with back pain.

Why is the back prone to developing so many different problems?

It’s about balance and alignment.

When the back is properly aligned, there is an acceptable

force acting on the discs in between each back bone.

There is no excessive strain on the ligaments connecting each

backbone.

The muscles don’t have to constantly contract to try and

maintain the alignment of the

back.

How does the spine become misaligned?

It is usually blamed on an

alignment issue with the pelvis.

But if you really want to find the source of musculoskeletal

misalignment, you have to start

at the foundation of the body.

Our feet.

The feet form the foundation to our

body.

A misaligned hindfoot will lead to a chain reaction of misalignment up

the musculoskeletal system.

Aligned Hindfoot Misaligned Hindfoot

The ankle bone (talus) should sit on top of the heel bone (calcaneus).

There are specific measurements to verify normal alignment.

A look at the top view- the Talar 2nd Metatarsal angle

should be < 16 degrees.

A look at the side view-the Talar Declination Angleshould be < 21 degrees.

Let’s connect the dots

When the ankle bone (talus) slips off of its normal alignment on the heel bone

(calcaneus),

the foundation drops out from under the leg bones (tibia/fibula).

This forces the leg bones (tibia/fibula) to turn inward and also

drop down.

The leg bone is connected to the thigh bone (femur).

When the leg bones (tibia/fibula) drop

down, the thigh bone (femur) also drops down and may also

turn inward.

The thigh bone is connected to the

pelvis.

If the thigh bone drops down, this forces the

pelvis to tilt.

The majority of people with back pain relate increased symptoms

and pain with increased standing and/or walking.

The more they stay off their feet, the less the pain.

So the difference between being off of our feet versus on our feet is?

When we are off our feet, the foot misalignment is eliminated.

Standing introduces the foot misalignment component.

So why do most treatments fail to permanently eliminate chronic back

pain?

They are only focused on the symptom

and not the source.

You can keep putting air in a tire that has a hole, but the air will keep leaking out until the hole is patched.

How can we re-align the hindfoot?

The first step is to make sure to wear good shoes that aren’t worn out.

Maybe an arch insert will do the trick,

But when those treatments don’t work, what else can be done?

We’d like to introduce you to a minimally invasive, scientifically proven procedure.

HyProCure®

is a titanium stent that is inserted into a naturally occurring space (sinus tarsi) between the ankle & heel bones. This minimally invasive, soft tissue procedure instantly maintains the natural opening of the sinus

tarsi while restoring the normal motion and alignment of the hindfoot bones.

HyProCure®

has been used safely and effectively in thousands of pediatric and adult patients since

2004.

Stabilization of Joint Forces of the Subtalar Complex via the HyProCure Sinus Tarsi StentJournal of American Podiatric Medical Association, Volume 101, No. 5, Pages 390-399, Sept/Oct 2011

Extra-Osseous Talotarsal Stabilization using HyProCure in Adults: A 5 Year Retrospective Follow-upJournal of Foot and Ankle Surgery – Vol. 51, (1), pages 23-29, January 2012

HyProCure®

is the only extra-osseous talotarsal stabilization device that works with the normal biomechanics, unlike other devices that work against the normal function, which often leads to failure of the device.

+ =

While we can’t ignore that fact that the damage to the back must be addressed, we also cannot ignore the trauma inflicted on

the back as a result of faulty foot alignment.

The insertion of HyProCure® realigns the ankle bone on the heel bone.

Misaligned - displaced Realigned - stabilized

This restores the foundation to the leg, thigh and pelvis.

Instantly, the strain on ligaments, muscles

and discs of the back are decreased while

standing and walking.

If you, or someone you know, suffers from

back pain, misaligned feet may be the cause.

For more information and to find a HyProCure® Specialist near you,

please visit:www.HyProCure.com