Another IFGEC Certification granted:

Here’s what Mark Small has to say

“The National Shoe Fit Program is beneficial to many fields/disciplines including, but not limited to, coaches, personal trainers, athletic trainers, physical therapists, podiatrists, and chiropractors (I would say MD’s, but it doesn’t come in a pill), as well as those who sell shoes.  The program offers tools to help us understand individual differences and their effects on gait and performance.  Some of the material includes:
    •    Foot anatomy
    •    Anatomical Landmarks
    •    Foot types
    •    Pathologies
    •    Basic biomechanics
    •    Shoe fit functional testing
    ⁃    Static and dynamic tests to assist fitting
    •    Finally shoe selection
    ⁃    Picking the best shoe for your client/athlete/patient

Some of these topics may be a good review for some of the advanced disciplines listed above. What the program is able to do, even for them, is to link everything together in a methodical, step by step, detailed approach, that applies what we have learned into something predictable and usable. We are often looking for ways to increase performance, decrease pain and get people to move better.  I, for one, believe that much of bad movement, pain and dysfunction have to do with inappropriate footwear, this course is a starting place to help correct that problem.  I am looking forward to Level 2 & 3 certification programs, but more importantly, I am looking forward to applying what I am learning with the people I serve.  I’m not a Gait Guy… more like a gleam in the gait daddy’s eye, but I’m working on it.”

Congratulations, Mark!

The Gait Guys