Your Feet and Chronic Pain
How your posture and gait can impact your pain
Ah, good ol’ feet; what would we do without them? Not much, actually. And that’s kind of the point. Our feet play such an important role in our everyday lives. So much so, it can be easy to take them for granted. For example, have you ever taken a moment to notice how you stand or walk? Well, you may want to, especially if you suffer from chronic pain. It turns out, the way you walk and stand can have an impact on your whole body.
Walking, standing, posture, and chronic pain
According to Dr. Rock G. Positano, director of the Non-Surgical Foot and Ankle Service at the Hospital for Special Surgery, “The foot is the foundation of the body. If the foundation is not sound, it could have a deleterious effect on the joints above the foot and ankle, namely the knee and the hip.” As soon as you stand, your feet are supporting the rest of your body, and almost every movement, motion, and activity ultimately involves them in some way. As a result, poor posture and an unbalanced walking gait can cause a variety of pain issues, particularly in the hips and lower back.
Proper standing and walking posture
You don’t even have to be moving for your posture to take a toll on your body. Your feet are the main weight bearing surfaces of your body and just standing up with improper foot alignment can cause pain. It can be something as simple as how far apart your feet are when standing that can make a huge difference.
Standing with your feet too close together can cause your hips to tilt forward, leading to excessive arching in your lower back. This can result in lower back pain, as well as neck and shoulder pain. Standing with your feet too far apart can cause your hips to tilt backward, leading to a flattened lower back and poor spinal alignment.1
Additionally, the angle of your feet can be a root cause of pain. If your feet angle too far inward, it is called overpronation. If they angle too far outward, it is called oversupination.
Both of these issues cause the load-bearing pressure of standing and walking to fall on a very localized part of your foot, instead of being spread out among the whole foot. This uneven distribution of pressure leads to poor body alignment and can cause pain in the feet, ankles, hips, and lower back.
Practicing proper foot positioning can go a long way in improving posture and reducing pain casued by misaligned feet.
“Proper foot positioning involves aligning your feet with your hips, keeping them shoulder-width apart, and distributing your weight evenly between both feet. This helps to maintain a neutral spine, with your shoulders and hips in line, reducing strain on your lower back and neck. When walking, it’s also important to take small steps and roll your feet from heel to toe. This helps maintain proper alignment and reduce the risk of injury.”1
Foot conditions that cause posture and gait issues
Poor posture and an uneven walking gait can sometimes simply be the result of unconscious habits. But they can also occasionally be the result of certain foot conditions, including:
Plantar fasciitis
A common condition that involves inflammation of the thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of each foot and connects the heel bone to the toes. This inflammation can lead to chronic heel pain and/or pain in the arches of the feet.
Neuroma
A benign growth of nerve tissue frequently found between the third and fourth toes. It can result in pain, a burning sensation, tingling, or numbness between the toes and in the ball of the foot.
Tarsal tunnel syndrome (TTS)
A condition that occurs when you have a damaged or compressed tibial nerve. The tibial nerve runs through your tarsal tunnel, a passage in your ankle made up of bones and ligaments. TTS can cause pain, tingling, numbness, weakness, or muscle damage, mainly in the bottom of the foot.
Bunions
A bony bump that forms on the joint at the base of your big toe. It occurs when some of the bones in the front part of your foot move out of place. This causes the tip of your big toe to get pulled toward the smaller toes, forcing the joint at the base of your big toe to stick out.
A new way to walk
It is important to make a conscious effort, where possible, to practice proper foot positioning when standing and walking. Changing how you walk may feel strange at first, but over time it will feel more normal. Make an effort to “square” your feet with your knees and walk with your toes pointing straight ahead. This is how to keep your body aligned, reducing your chances of injury to the low back and other parts of your body. The foot is the foundation of the body, and the way you walk can affect just about everything.
