CHAPTER VII.
Inclinationsof the Feet—How to Make them Tread Squarely—Peculiar Lasts—Weak Ankles—Cultivation of Muscle—Turning in of the Toes.
There remains still one other defect to be noticed—that of treading upon the side of the foot. This is a very common fault, and seems to be a habit often acquired quite early. The feet appear to leave the old, upright way of getting through the world, and take a sidewise deviation. Having commenced losing their uprightness when young, they, unless speedily helped, seldom recover it entirely afterward. The individual who possesses such unfortunateinclinationsnever has the satisfaction of knowing what it is to stand up inperfect rectitude. Whether the physical leaning of the feet has any tendency to create a moral one-sidedness may be considered an open question. It is hardly safe to say that it doesnot, when we know that the whole carriage, attitude, and dress of the individual has an effect upon the condition of the mind. But leaving that to be settledas it may, we must see what can be done to straighten the feet up to their natural position.
Feet that tread upon theinsideare, many of them,flattenedsomewhat at the same time. This latter fault may come from any of the influences previously pointed out, or from a natural weakness of the muscles and ligaments of the ankle, which condition frequently exists in children. When this is the case, the arch of the foot being turned, the weight of the body is improperly directed upon it—that is, the arch bears this weight slightly upon one side instead of directlyoveritself. This tends to break it down and make the foot flat. The flatness, if already existing, may tend to throw the foot still more toward the side. Either way, the first thing to be done is to counteract the flatness by a sufficiently long heel under the shoe, to support the arch. The shoe should also be made upon a flat-bottomed last, and one that will compel it to draw tight along the sides and ankle. Another requisite is that the counter shall be verystiffon the inside, while on the opposite side it should beweak. It should also be high as well as firm, sometimesveryhigh, as when the ankle requires very much support. When, however, it reaches so high as to touch the prominences of the joint, it must be carefully thinned on the edge to prevent chafing the bone. If the weakness is but slight, the principal part of the stiffness may be near the bottom, where a good deal of it will do no harm.
All persons having feet thus turned should patronizethe last maker before expecting to accomplish much toward correcting them. An ordinary last is, in these cases, good for nothing. It needs to be straight, or nearly so, on its outside edge, from heel to ball, and that part between the heel and instep—the back half of it—should be very full on the outside, while it should be much hollowed out on theinside. In other words without altering the general form of the front part,the bulk of the wood in the back and middle parts should incline toward, and be on, the outside. The bottom of the last,particularly at the heel, may then be thinned off at the outside edge of thesole, leaving it deepest, or thickest, relatively, at itsinside. It then has the appearance of beinginclined over outwardly. The shoe or boot made upon it would really be inclined outwardly, and possess a tendency to push the foot which wore it over in the same direction. This is its precise intention. The maker must not forget to see that the upper is lasted over equally on both sides, or more on the outside, if either. Then it is just such a shoe as would fit easily and comfortably a foot that treads outside; andfor that very reasonit is exactly such a one asought to be wornby a foot that treadsinwardly. All the force exerted by the stiffness of the counter, and theinclination of the whole shoe, goes toward righting up the foot and pushing it over outwardly. Still there is nothing that canhurtthe foot—only a steady and gentle pressure in the right direction, which does not interfere with the use of the muscles.
In extreme cases a further precaution may be taken by building the heels more upon the inside than the other, and raising them a little the highest on that side, fortifying them still more by some large nails, while theoutsideis not guarded at all. The inside edge of the sole, if sufficiently thick, may be treated in the same way.
We have said the last should beflat. It ought to be quite as much so as the foot; and the long heel must not be forgotten. Of course if there isnoflatness of the shank, as is sometimes the case, there need be none in the last.
This plan of treatment will not only right up the foot, but we believe it will be a great help toward raising the flattened arch. At least, it ought not to be neglected in any case of flat-foot associated with treading inward; for as long as the foot treads on the inside, there is one cause—weight wrongly directed on the arch—constantly operating to break it down. And this might defeat all the efforts for its restoration.
Those feet that treadoutsideneed exactly the same treatment recommended for the others, only, in the shoes made for them, it must be directed in a way exactly opposite. The stiffness of the counter must be on the outside, as also the guarding of the heel. The last must be straight andvery fullupon theinside. The main bulk of the wood between the heel and instep should be on that side, projecting well over the bottom at the ball, while it is spare, thinned, or hollowed on the other. The bottom should be thinned off at the inner edge, so that when placed upon a level surface itseems to lean that way. In a word, it will look as though it would fit beautifully a foot that treadsinward.Then it is just adapted for one that goes outward.The whole shape and fit of a boot made upon such a last exerts an easy pressure, tending to right up the foot and force it to tread on the opposite side. The principle has not heretofore been generally recognized. Let it not be forgotten that the last that would appear to fit a foot that treads outward is just the one to be used for a foot that goes inward, andvice versa. When this is acted upon, the principal step is taken in overcoming the difficulty.
But as many persons having such feet preserve the natural form of them by treading the boots outside, it is about as well to let them go so, as attempt to right them up, even if a little more leather is thus worn out. On the contrary, when the tendency is to treadinside, the remedy can not be applied too soon if it is wished to avoid the big joints that result from such a habit.
Without the lasts here mentioned, however, a little temporary improvement can still be effected in those feet that tread over but slightly, by what shoemakers call “working under†the sole of the shoe on the side opposite that which treads over, and by also putting a piece of leather on the lastabove the sole or bottom, to make room in the upper at that side without increasing the width of the sole. Thesolemay be “worked full†on thetreading-overside at the same time.
Feet that tread outside generally, if not always, have good arches.
The directions here given, if put in practice by a shoemaker who can appreciate and apply them thoroughly, will, it is believed, straighten up and cure any case of treading-over feet that can be helped at all. And this probably includes the majority of instances. The adoption of such lasts has never been fairly tried, as far as we know, and we are quite confident they will prove successful.
The turning over of the foot is believed to be sometimes occasioned in children by their being obliged or encouraged to stand or walk upon them for too long a time, when making their first attempts, in infancy. The bones, ligaments, and muscles being all soft, tender, and weak at this period, they may be forced into almost any shape by pressure or overstraining. This is something worthy of careful attention from parents. It is very easy to let a child contract a habit of walking which will render the feet and legs deformed through a whole lifetime. It is also very easy to prevent it, and give the child a natural, upright, easy, and graceful walk by taking a little pains at the proper period. And it should also be remembered that crooked feet and ankles are more easily straightened while they are young than when the foot has obtained its growth, and every part become firmly settled in its false position.
The legs and feet may turn inward, developing knockknees and flat-foot, or outward, growing into bow-legs, with the feet invariably treading over the opposite way. If a child grows up with either of these distortions, after being born with sound limbs, which might have been continuedin their natural perfection, there is, on the part of somebody, a sad lack of duty.
It is quite possible, also, that this habit may be adopted by children sometimes from wearing a shoe that hurts the foot. The sufferer may turn it on one side to avoid a peg, or some rough projection on the insole, and in this way the fault may be developed in some of those cases where one foot treads over, while the other stands upright. And children will often get into an awkward manner of standing or walking, even without any reason for it—from sheer carelessness—and require a great deal of watching, in order to train up their feet correctly.[6]
It is to be borne in mind that in all cases of weak ankles, except those incurably so, the object should be to support them no more than is necessary; but instead, to allow the muscles to be used as much as possible for the sake ofstrengthening them. When the whole support comes frombraces—in the shoe or outside of it—there is nothing left to be done by the muscles on the side of the foot and leg, and consequently they remain weak. The law of growth and strength is use, exercise, or labour. Hence, though guards and braces are sometimes required for weak-ankled children, there ought to be plenty of room between them and the foot; and it will be well to discard them as soon as a leather stiffening in the shoe can be safely substituted.
There are many movements of theLight Gymnasticsthat for weak ankles would be highly beneficial. It would be well, where there is an opportunity, to adopt all those movements in which the muscles of the feet are called into play such as charging, leaning, bracing, springing on the toes, and, in short, almost the whole routine of exercises; and to practice them, cautiously at first, but thoroughly, until the muscles and ligaments become strong enough to do their duty in bracing up the foot without any assistance.
There are many feet in which thetoesturn inward in walking—a habit which may be easily corrected by a little care and perseverance, and the subject of it enabled to go on his way rejoicing in the knowledge that he has gained a respectable walk in place of one that was ridiculously awkward. All that is required to change the habit is to develope the strength of the muscles by calling them into exercise. An every-day practice of turning the feet outward as far as possible, for a few minutes at a time, will do a great deal. If, in addition to this, the step is constantly watched, the toes being kept turned out untilthe muscles are tired, and then, after resting by a return to the old step, the toes are again forced outward, and this is repeated continuously for a few weeks, the awkwardness will be entirely gone. The practice of light gymnastics is a good corrective for this fault; and the dancing-school is another equally excellent. It is to be hoped that both of them will have their due influence in this respect, till an ungraceful walk is far less common than it is now. With such easy means of correcting and avoiding these faults, any one who will not make a little effort for that purpose, deserves, to say the least, a good share of ridicule.[7]
There is a less number of feet that are turnedtoo muchoutward, and these can be brought into their right place by the same means directed in the opposite way. The only trouble with them usually is a habit, or a weakness of particular muscles. If the toes are turned in, and perseveringly kept so for a short time, a great difference will be discovered. A further continuance in well-doing will bring its reward in an easy, natural, and graceful step.
Those feet that are wholly turned, or deformed by being drawn up at the heel or toe, and those impaired by disease of the structure, are cases belonging to the surgeon and physician. Many of them might probably have been prevented by calling in the surgeon’s aid during the childhood of the unfortunate possessor. Let us hope that few who can be saved from such disfigurement will be allowed to suffer from it through ignorance or culpable negligence in the future.
FOOTNOTES:[6]Another reason for care in guarding against weak ankles is thus given in a work upon the “Theory and Practice of the Movement-Cure,†by Dr. Charles F. Taylor.“Weak ankles, often the result of the ungraceful, and, in other respects, pernicious fashion of wearing high, narrow-heeled shoes, straining them by their rolling about, etc., may be the exciting cause oflateral curvature of the spine. The weaker ankle is generally theleft, and the individual soon forms the habit of standing on the right foot. The lower portion of the spine is thrown to theleft, and the dorsal portion necessarily thrown to theright.†In another place he repeats: “We find that almost without exception, in curvature to theright, theleftankle is much weaker than the other. Movements of the foot must be employed, such as inward and outward flexion, twisting the whole leg from the hip, and many others, calculated to strengthen the left leg, hip, and ankle.â€[7]As a matter not wholly out of place, it may be said that the graceful walker stands upright, and in taking a step uses the muscles and joints of thehip, theknee, and thetoes. Many people use the toes but very little, and their step lacksspring,elasticity,life, andgrace; while others do not use the muscles in front of the hip enough, and their walk has no dignity. Instead of swinging the whole leg, they seem as though kicking their feet along ahead of them, swinging only that half of it below the knee. Stiff coverings on the feet, or very high heels under them, effectually prevent all gracefulness in walking.
[6]Another reason for care in guarding against weak ankles is thus given in a work upon the “Theory and Practice of the Movement-Cure,†by Dr. Charles F. Taylor.“Weak ankles, often the result of the ungraceful, and, in other respects, pernicious fashion of wearing high, narrow-heeled shoes, straining them by their rolling about, etc., may be the exciting cause oflateral curvature of the spine. The weaker ankle is generally theleft, and the individual soon forms the habit of standing on the right foot. The lower portion of the spine is thrown to theleft, and the dorsal portion necessarily thrown to theright.†In another place he repeats: “We find that almost without exception, in curvature to theright, theleftankle is much weaker than the other. Movements of the foot must be employed, such as inward and outward flexion, twisting the whole leg from the hip, and many others, calculated to strengthen the left leg, hip, and ankle.â€
[6]Another reason for care in guarding against weak ankles is thus given in a work upon the “Theory and Practice of the Movement-Cure,†by Dr. Charles F. Taylor.
“Weak ankles, often the result of the ungraceful, and, in other respects, pernicious fashion of wearing high, narrow-heeled shoes, straining them by their rolling about, etc., may be the exciting cause oflateral curvature of the spine. The weaker ankle is generally theleft, and the individual soon forms the habit of standing on the right foot. The lower portion of the spine is thrown to theleft, and the dorsal portion necessarily thrown to theright.†In another place he repeats: “We find that almost without exception, in curvature to theright, theleftankle is much weaker than the other. Movements of the foot must be employed, such as inward and outward flexion, twisting the whole leg from the hip, and many others, calculated to strengthen the left leg, hip, and ankle.â€
[7]As a matter not wholly out of place, it may be said that the graceful walker stands upright, and in taking a step uses the muscles and joints of thehip, theknee, and thetoes. Many people use the toes but very little, and their step lacksspring,elasticity,life, andgrace; while others do not use the muscles in front of the hip enough, and their walk has no dignity. Instead of swinging the whole leg, they seem as though kicking their feet along ahead of them, swinging only that half of it below the knee. Stiff coverings on the feet, or very high heels under them, effectually prevent all gracefulness in walking.
[7]As a matter not wholly out of place, it may be said that the graceful walker stands upright, and in taking a step uses the muscles and joints of thehip, theknee, and thetoes. Many people use the toes but very little, and their step lacksspring,elasticity,life, andgrace; while others do not use the muscles in front of the hip enough, and their walk has no dignity. Instead of swinging the whole leg, they seem as though kicking their feet along ahead of them, swinging only that half of it below the knee. Stiff coverings on the feet, or very high heels under them, effectually prevent all gracefulness in walking.