This is not about patriotism. Perhaps quite the contrary
“Pronation” is defined on this computer as the outward turning of the foot so as to flatten the arch and direct the leg forces down on the inside of the foot, over the inside of the ankle bones. For years I have had rather bad “pronation” of the right foot and ankle. It is as if I am walking on the inside of my foot, and it results in “flat feet,” for which I was treated as a young child by an orthopædist in Richmond. My right ankle is also distended and huge. The “flat-feet” treatment was most annoying, since I had to wear shoes with “special” heels, custom- made at Miller & Rhoads department store. I was not allowed to wear “Buster Brown” shoes, which I wanted so badly, since “Buster” and his dog would surely talk to me from the inside of the shoes like on TV!
The goddamned “flat feet,” however, did NOT exempt me from the undeclared Vietnam “War” draft! Thankfully, I was spared certain death or possible quadraplegic paralysis in a rice paddy by the judicious revelation of the post-surgical permanently torn anterior cruciate ligament in my right knee! I made SURE the docs at the induction station knew about THAT! After all, I AM a scum-sucking COWARD! I did NOT want to die in a rice paddy! Not for Lyndon Johnson; not for Richard Nixon. And DEFINITELY not to preserve the utterly corrupt South Vietnamese government! Surprisingly, my liberties have mostly remained intact ever since the PREDICTABLE fall of that corrupt South Vietnamese government, right up until Donald Trump’s mostly corrupt judicial picks got railroaded through the Senate by Mitch McConnell!
But, I digress. Sorry about that.
I have a theory, and I don’t know if the “statistics” will bear me out or not, but I am willing to venture that there are many more instances of “pronation” of the right foot and ankle than the left foot and ankle! This occurred to me the other day as I was driving home from Richmond on the interstate highway. I noticed that my right ankle and foot were stretched out toward the accelerator pedal, but rolled inward like a pronation! Due to the lower seating positions and smaller confines of most cars these days, it is difficult to prevent the inevitable “pronation” of the right foot, even while using cruise control!
I have several older cars with more leg and foot room and higher seating positions, and they seem to distort the right-foot-and-ankle position less than newer cars. If there is no cruise control, then the right toe must be held back, poised to modulate the fuel flow or apply the brake pedal as the foot must pivot on the heel, and the ankle inevitably turns inward. The “shear” forces of the leg bones bear down on that distorted position and they seemingly try to “slide” past the ankle bones!
Now, I happen to know a thing or two about “shear forces.” Years ago, I helped my ex-wife prepare for the architect’s licensing exam, and she had to master the general attributes of the various forces on structures. She was not required to calculate the precise values (engineers do that), but she had to know enough to know when to invoke the assistance of an engineer while designing a structure. “Shear” (sliding) forces were one of those forces she had to address, and as a former physics student, I had some knowledge in that area. I am proud to say she passed the exam and is now both a licensed architect AND a “professional” (examined) interior designer.
It seems to me that a “pronated” ankle is aggravated by a tendency of the leg bones to “shear” past the ankle bones, and that situation is aggravated by the distorted position of the right foot and ankle while driving in today’s more modern cars. I’d be grateful if someone would comment and confirm or deny my suppositions.
