Podiatrist · Specialist in Biomechanics · Founder of VOLKAN
"Breathing not only sustains life. It also helps the body organize movement."
"I never thought that my way of breathing had anything to do with my feet"
I remember a patient who came in for persistent discomfort in the forefoot.
She had tried different treatments.
She had changed shoes several times.
She had even reduced physical activity for a while.
While we were talking, I noticed something that, at first glance, seemed to have no relation to her feet.
She was breathing quickly.
She was constantly raising her shoulders.
The lower part of her thorax barely moved.
It was not the direct cause of her pain.
That would be a conclusion too simple.
But it was an important piece of the puzzle.
Because breathing influenced how she organized her entire body while standing and while walking.
Sometimes we look for the explanation too far away when part of the answer is happening thousands of times a day.
Breathing is much more than exchanging oxygen
When we think about breathing, we often imagine lungs filling and emptying with air.
But the body does much more.
Each inhalation slightly modifies the position of the ribs.
The diaphragm descends.
The pressure inside the abdomen changes.
The deep muscles of the trunk adjust their activity.
The pelvis responds.
The spine makes small adaptations.
Even the support on the feet changes almost imperceptibly.
None of this occurs in isolation.
Everything happens as part of the same system.
Breathing is also moving.
The diaphragm: a muscle that does much more than we imagine
The diaphragm is often presented as the main respiratory muscle.
And it is.
But it also participates in functions that directly affect biomechanics.
It helps to regulate the pressure inside the abdomen.
It collaborates with the deep muscles of the trunk.
It helps to stabilize the body before many movements.
It does not work alone.
It is part of a team.
When that team functions in a coordinated manner, the organism distributes better the loads.
When it loses coordination, other structures may be forced to take on additional work.
Not because the diaphragm is "the one responsible" for all the problems.
But because no structure functions independently.
Breathing changes with the context
Think about how you breathe while you calmly read this chapter.
Now imagine that, suddenly, you hear an unexpected noise behind you.
Without realizing it, your breathing would change.
Maybe it would be faster.
More superficial.
For a few seconds you might even hold your breath.
The nervous system immediately adapts breathing to what it interprets is happening.
And that new way of breathing modifies muscle tone, posture, and preparation for movement.
Breathing not only responds to the body.
It also responds to the perception of the environment.
What does this have to do with barefoot?
Much more than it seems.
When a person starts walking in more flexible footwear, the body receives a huge amount of new information from the feet.
To use that information effectively, the system needs to coordinate multiple functions at the same time.
Breathing is one of them.
Not because breathing in a specific way automatically makes walking better.
But because a body that breathes comfortably usually has more resources to adapt, maintain balance, and respond to the demands of the environment.
Barefoot not only challenges the foot.
It invites to reorganize the whole system.
What I see every day in consultation
In many cases, I don’t need to ask a patient to walk to get the first information.
I observe how they enter the consultation.
How they sit.
How they talk.
How they breathe.
There are people whose breathing conveys calm.
Others seem to live in a permanent state of hurry.
I don’t use that observation to draw hasty conclusions.
I use it to better understand the context.
Because the breathing speaks to me about the state in which the nervous system is organizing movement at that moment.
And understanding the state of the system is often as important as analyzing the mechanics of the foot.
What can you do starting today
For a few minutes a day, simply observe how you breathe.
Don't try to correct yourself immediately.
Don't look for a perfect technique.
Just pay attention.
Do you breathe calmly or in a hurry?
Does the movement occur only in the upper part of the chest or do the lower ribs and abdomen also participate?
Conscious observation does not automatically change biomechanics.
But it does improve something essential for changing any movement.
Perception.
And the body cannot adapt to what it does not perceive.
🔬 In a sentence
Each breath modifies the functioning of the system that organizes your posture and your movement.
The most important idea
Breathing is not an independent function of movement.
It is a part of movement.
Each inhalation slightly reorganizes the body.
Each exhalation modifies muscle tone and stability.
All of this occurs automatically thousands of times a day.
That is why understanding biomechanics also involves understanding how the organism integrates seemingly distinct functions to achieve a common goal: to move efficiently and continuously adapt to the environment.
A question to reflect on
Think of a recent moment of tranquility and another of great stress.
Were you breathing the same in both… or did your body automatically modify the way it moved even before you were aware of it?
In the next article…
So far we have talked about how the brain receives information, organizes the movement, and adapts the body to the environment.
But there is still a fundamental question.
What does the brain really focus on when deciding how to move?
It cannot process everything at the same time.
It has to select.
Prioritize.
Ignore some signals and attend to others.
In the next chapter we will talk about a fascinating and little-known concept outside of neuroscience: attention.
We will discover that where we direct our attention can change the quality of movement, balance, athletic performance, and even the perception of pain.