Finding Your Footing: GroomFit

By Vera Needham

It's a great feeling to kick off your shoes off at the end of a long day in the puppy parlor. This is partly because shoes can hurt and misshape our feet. Foot pain affects at least one in four groomers. Female groomers have more foot pain complaints than males probably because of the shoes we choose. If you’ve ever seen a house being built you will notice that workers pay special attention to the foundation. Part of the Placement of footings is crucial to provide the proper support for the foundation. The design of the foundation is ex-

ecuted to sustain and transmit the im-

posed forces evenly to the ground. Improperly built footings can bring down a house. This concept is very important in our bodies as well.

Today I want to focus on how we place our footings when we are standing at the grooming table.

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tion, and our first contact with gravity. If you are standing for much of the day and are out of alignment every joint above your foot will be affected. Foot pain is something that many groomers ignore. If achy feet have been with you for quite a while, it could be causing problems in your ankles, knees, hips, and even your back. you walk, it changes the way the bones of all those other joints move with each other. Cartilage in the joints can wear down, ligaments and tendons can be stressed beyond their normal range and

arthritis can set in. Straight Feet:

Have you ever seen someone walk or stand with the feet toed out in a ducklike foot position? Many of us toe out a bit as we age. The angle of our foot will

impact the forces within your foot, knee and hip. Standing for hours in this toed out position while we create the perfect clip increases the probability of bunions. This position changes the alignment of the rest of the leg, putting increased pressure on the inner part of the knee. This is a common pattern seen in groomers with knee osteoarthritis.

To reduce stress on our joints, our feet should be facing forward with the bone on the outside of the ankle lining up with the little toe. Next time you are around a toddler, take a minute to look at their feet. In most cases you will see that they are perfectly straight.

Most of us start life with great alignment. It's the hours we spend of sitting, standing, bending, leaning, and carrying that can throw that alignment out of whack.

You can check your foot position by placing the outside of the foot on a line in the sidewalk. You may notice when you put feet in the correct position that face each other. your gluteal muscles. Often when you it may feel like your feet are pigeon-toed

tighten up you will feel a lift in the arches of your feet. The goal is to have the foot and knee facing forward when we and your knees may want to fall in and Foot width: To turn your knee caps forward, tighten placed directly under our hips, with the stand in front of a mirror. In a perfect world our feet should be 38 Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com(Continued on page 39)

knee in line with the ankle. Standing for hours with the feet too narrow or wide creates an imbalance in the use of the muscles of your hips.

A plumb line is a great way to check the width of your feet. To create a plumb line all you need is a string with a weight on the end of it. Anything you can find around the house will do. You can use nuts or bolts, fishing bobbers, etc. In the photos below I tied a small screwdriver that I found in my grooming kit to a piece of string.

Once you have your plumb line stand in front of a mirror. Find the bony part of your hip on the front, called the ASIS, and drop the plumb line down from this point.

Next notice where the weight falls at the ankle. The plumb line should be in the center of the ankle. If the plumb line is to the outside of the ankle, move your foot out until you find this alignment. If the plumb line is to the inside of the ankle, move your foot inward.

Weight over Heels:

With all of the hours we spend on our feet, weight distribution has a major impact on painful paws. To check where you carry your weight over your feet we need to use the plumb line again. Stand to your side, looking in a mirror. Find the bony part of the outside of the hip and drop the plumb line

down from this point. The end of the plumb line should fall in line with the outer ankle bone.

Adjust your body until you find this alignment. When you try this new alignment out at first, you may feel like you might lose your balance backward. Years of leaning forward over the grooming table has an impact. Keep practicing this alignment gradually until it becomes more comfortable for you. Placing more weight on the forefoot places more stress on the knees.

At first, some of the alignment checks may feel “wrong” when making adjustments. That doesn’t mean that it’s not the proper position. Imagine an elderly person with a hunched forward posture. If we asked that person to stand up straight it would be very uncomfortable. They wouldn't be able to hold that position very long because all of the posture muscles have become weak.

Misalignments take years to develop and they won’t be corrected overnight. It’s a work in progress and we need to really pay attention and be persistent. Think of it like you were training a puppy. It will take lots of repetition and patience. Next time you are at work please pause to check your paws. ▀

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vera Needham is a Medical Exercise Specialist, pilates trainer and has been a dog groomer for over 35 years. Vera invented the Tubee-Fit training tool for groomers. The Tubee has proven to be a wonderful addition to her older adult classes and in long term care facilities.

If you have any Goomfit question or want more information about the Tubee contact Vera at groomfit@yahoo.com