Every Woman's Guide to Foot Pain Relief: The New Science of Healthy Feet

Had gotten as was recommended by my chiropractor to help with issues I was having due to several stress fractures in both feet from military boot camp. Was told by doctors they just never fully heal as always using your feet and my feet would just always hurt to some degree. After implementing her stuff my feet definitely felt better. Still have some issues but definitely reduced. I highly recommend to anyone who will listen.Easy read, had gotten from library and often wanted to review material but always a wait list as checked out so much and only a couple copies so finally got my own. Great book good info like her light writing style.

Having visited podiatrists and neurologists for various foot problems, I've had all kinds of advice about everything from shoes (tie shoes, with very firm foundations -- kind of like girdles for the feet) to medications, but not one of them has ever said, "You need to get your feet lined up." In just a week, simply being conscious of that fact and working at walking that way has made a huge difference. Additionally, I've had a two pairs of negative heeled shoes sitting in my attic for a few years now, and after reading the first part of Katy's book, decided to get them out and try again. With the new (to me) information on how my feet should actually align, these shoes and her exercises have made my feet (and knees and even low back) feel better than they have in years. Her writing is fun, funny, often even hilarious, which makes her points easy to remember. What's not to like?

I LOVE this book, as well as the author's blog and videos through amazon. I've been to many physical therapists, who have done nothing but give me band aid treatments for my knees, hips, feet, and poor posture. I have hope, though, for the first time in my life, that I can improve things and come to a more permanent, natural solution before any major damage is done. I also feel like I now have some real understanding of the root of some of my issues, which has given me a much greater sense of control over my health.This book is genius in its simplicity. She doesn't leave you with a two hour routine that you likely will never begin to follow. Instead, she gives you a handful of simple, easy to remember exercises and stretches that make sense, feel great, and have already seen improvement in my arch and calf flexibility.This book is NOT just about taking off the heels... it's about understanding your body and how the environment impacts it.

This book addresses foot health, a timely and very important topic. The book is well written and contains a lot of information. I am giving the book four stars instead of five because I think somewhere in the book Ms Bowman could have offered a one to two page summary -- the quick and dirty on healthy footwear - which would pull together all the information in the book so that if you only remembered those few tips, you would have all you to need to begin purchasing healthy footwear. (I have always bought leather shoes with a bendable toe box, but I have learned those are NOT the benchmarks you want to use) .Toward that end, I am offering a mini-summary here. I highly recommend the website nwfootankle.com (see Articles on Foot Health) and their product Correct Toes (these will stay on your feet; try it and see). Here is what I have learned from them:1. Try to go barefoot as much as possible -- certainly at home. (my note: indoors, I wear cotton toe sox with grips and these work very well. See the website toesox.com for merchandise. If you get the toe sox with open toe pockets, the Correct Toes fit nicely)2. Avoid compressed toe boxes -- My explanation of this: the toe box of the shoe should be shaped like the letter "U" rather than the letter "O" (99% of all shoes sold have compressed toe boxes)3. Avoid high heels, pointed toes, toe springs and heel wedges -- the shoe should lay flat on the floor4. The shoe should be very flexible == you can bend and twist it (compare with cowboy boots or some clogs)5. Check out Vibrams Fivefingers (REI is a national retailer) as well as Lems Shoes, Archipedico, etc.Your feet truly are your body's foundation -- stand on solid ground!

I'm a massage therapist and thought I knew a fair amount about feet. I was wrong. This book was a real eye opener for me. I have a whole new understanding of the habits and lifestyle choices we make that contribute to foot pain, as well as what we can do to not only reverse foot pain but avoid the pain in the first place.I've worked with clients with plantar fasciits, bunions, hammer toes, etc. I wish I'd known this information years ago and been able to offer this book as a resource to them.The book is easy to read and very understandable - it all makes so much sense! If we're going to use our feet in ways they weren't designed to be used (limited movement, stiff shoes, weight over the balls of the feet, etc.) then we are setting ourselves up for problems.The information in this book is incredibly empowering - I now know how to keep my feet healthy and happy for life. Thanks Katy for a great book!

This book is both entertaining and educational. The exercises outlined in the book are simple and helpful not just for healthy feet but a healthy, functioning body. The feet are the foundation of our body and without a sound foundation, our whole body suffers. Don't be discouraged if you can't do all the exercises outlined in the book or if your foot pain is not resolved right away. Our foot problems did not develop overnight so don't expect them to disappear overnight. It took me weeks of practice in spreading and lifting my toes before I was able to do so. I noticed that having more agile feet improved my day to day movement and my sense of balance.

Got your attention? Good. 'Goldilocks', because the book is "juusst right", in length, in tone, in depth. Dropping any temptation to work that metaphor further (i.e., whom the Wolf would be, to say nothing of mixing my metaphors, and switching rails to the Three Little Pigs, and which toes would play whom... Enough.)Excellent for informative, but of the sort that motivates one to application, and doesn't leave one merely standing in the doorway of appreciation. It strikes the just-so balance of enforcing the 'what' with the necessary 'wherefore', lest one forgets it all the moment the cover is closed. Not so. There is a simple cast of movement alterations and 'exercise' movements to assist in finding again the feet of one's youth.And I'm a man. The only heels I've worn were my Doc Martin's boots back in the salad days of my punk rock youth. Approaching 40, Katy Bowman has provided me with rationale for her opinions which give them more the feel of fact, fact for which, I'm appreciative. This book is unisex.A decade and a half of regular, proactive work notwithstanding, (barefoot training throughout, minimalist footwear all else,) there are yet (more than) a few nuggets I've culled from this book to apply immediately, and will with verve and veracity. So thank you Katy, and I've the remainder your published work awaiting me, and I it.

Easy book to read, exercises easy to do, so just have to do them to get those feet dancing again !

Quizás uno de los libros más desorganizados de K.Bowman, pero fue el primero que leí, y desde luego tiene muchísima información útil y reveladora. Su estilo lo hace muy ameno de leer, además.

Ist eindeutig geschrieben für Leute die keine Ahnung und Zeit haben. Am Ende jedes Kapitals ist das Wichtigste zusammengefasst und im letzten Kapital nochmal das Wichtigste. Inhaltich auch etwas knapp bemessen und es fehlen mir Details.Für Laien in diesem Gebiet, die einfache Hilfe suchen trotzdem das Beste mir bekannte Werk!Medizinisch Vorgebildete lesen sich am besten einfach das letzte Kapitel durch und dat wars!

I was really on my chin strap. I could not walk far without feeling like my soles did when I had run 5 miles in my twenties.The simple advice on proper gait was fabulous. I just went for a spin round the park with much reduced pain.Wriggling my legs and feet about I hear the joints all clicking into their natural loading positions for the first time in years.I found I had the habit of turning my feet outwards. Especially my right one. Just turning them in fully, against western norms, made all the difference. Other tips were also good, but I don't want to give the plot away!My podiatrist did not give me any gait advice and was talking about injections and possible nerve removal operations. So glad I got this. I am a bloke, but took the US Amazon reviews advice that it would be just as useful for a man. (I am not a tranny!)(Although I did dress up once for charity at Uni...)Update: Just bought some totally flat soled trainers for the first time. As advised they remove pressure from the forefoot and feel fantastic. I don't need my orthotics with them and my metatarsalgia is gone.