Fit Foot U w/ Dr. Pearl & Dr. Howard Dananberg Functional Biomechanics

Dr. Ben Pearl and Dr. Howard Danenberg discussed their perspectives on gait analysis and the importance of the sagittal plane in walking. Dr. Danenberg emphasized that the side view was crucial for understanding the vast majority of what happens during walking, including the effect of feet on head and neck position, shoulder position, and hip extension. They also touched upon the influence of the long bar and foot orthotics on walking. First Ray Mechanism and Kinetic Wedges Howard explained the mechanism of the first ray resisting dorsiflexion and how peroneal inhibition can lead to issues such as functional hallux limitus and osteoarthritis. He shared a case of a woman with 40 years of anterrorlateral leg pain who was able to compensate for the issue by using a particular muscle movement. This led to Howard's invention, a kinetic wedge, which was implemented in Brooks running shoes and was based on the idea that the first Mtp. during dorsiflexion became very important