Episode Details

As children, most of us are born into the world with two happy and healthy feet.

They move, bend, and push just like they were designed to.

But over the years, whether it’s through bad shoes, lack of motion, or flat out weakness, we tend to lose those ideal foot mechanics – and the downside can mean a negative cascade of events throughout the body.

As someone that not only had foot issues herself, Dr. Courtney Conley was always interested in feet and how to get herself out of pain.

This led her down a path of not only chiropractic school but also working in an orthotic lab early in her career.

So how do you imagine she felt when she came to the stark realization that the product she was creating was actually BLOCKING normal foot function???

That realization, combined with an insatiable thirst for knowledge on everything feet, brought her to where she is today.

Dr. Courtney Conley is the founder and creator of Gait Happens where she has the opportunity to truly realize her dream of helping as many people as possible reclaim their foot function.

She’s an internationally renowned foot and gait specialist who teaches both nationally and internationally. Dr. Conley is a chiropractic physician who specializes in foot and gait mechanics. She holds a BA in Kinesiology, a BA in Human Biology and a doctorate in Chiropractic Medicine.

But most importantly, Dr. Courtney knows FEET – and that’s what we’re going to talk about here today!

My heart is so in this because when people can’t walk because their foot hurts, it’s brutal. It’s painful, and it hurts me. Because I know what it does for my mental health and my mental capacity, and still does every day. So I don’t think we need to make it any harder than it is, we just need to get out and walk more. – Dr. Courtney Conley

This Week on the Physical Prep Podcast:

• What originally got Dr. Courtney into the world of physical preparation, and most importantly, why she’s so interest in FEET.
• The role the foot places on performance as a whole.
• Foundational gait mechanics, and what your foot SHOULD be doing throughout the gait cycle.
• The differences you see when moving from walking to running mechanics.
• “High Gear”: What it is, why it’s important, and ways your clients and athletes will try to cheat it.
• Why people shouldn’t be called “Pronators” or “Supinators.”
• Toe gripping, foot strength, and why your foot is so important in everyday movement.
• Dr. Conley’s assessment process, as well as self-assessments you can do with yourself or your clients/athletes.
• The role tibial internal rotation (IR) plays in effective gate.
• Courtney’s thoughts on barefoot training and the minimalist shoe phase.
• Last but not least, Dr. Courtney’s shoe recommendations, and the two things she looks for in every pair of shoes she buys or recommends.

And last but not least, I’m trying the video thing here as well – especially since Courtney had some visuals in there as well. Let me know what you think!