Lumbar spine mechanics and boots

Your footwear can affect your hips and low back ? Yes.

If you have been with us even a short while, this study should be of zero new value to you. But this study looked at the ankle dorsiflexion restricting firefighting boots on the low back.
We know that there are several force dissipators in the lower limbs, those being hip flexion, knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion not to forget the all important foot pronation. When one of those is compromised, the job of that joint complex typically gets shunted elsewhere, and often proximally into the body.
Obviously, above ankle boots will restrict ankle dorsiflexion. Imagine an ice skate laced up all the way, or a ski boot, the ankle dorsiflexion virtually disappears. The came can happen in an inappropriately laced hiking boot or high ankle trail running shoe.
This will hit home the posts earlier in the week on the "z-angle" we discussed and Gray Cooks video from the weekend.
It is possible if you dial back the ankle dorsiflexion you cheat hip extension, or you make the lumbar spine extend into more lordosis than it is happy to perform.
You just cannot rob Peter to pay Paul all the time. Eventually Peter is gonna get pretty pissed.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/…/article/pii/S0003687017301333