How Your Feet Can Contribute to Your Persistent Pain
Your feet get you from point A to point B. But as you walk I’m sure most of you don’t even notice how you walk. What you might not be aware of, is that your feet can play a significant role in your pain. The way you walk and stand can impact your whole body.
Walking, standing, posture, and chronic pain
According to Dr. 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.” If you feel unbalanced, your shoes will likely be uneven. If your shoes are uneven, this can eventually cause weakness in your ankles, knees, and hips, making them vulnerable to injury.
Where you feel your pain is almost always never where your pain originates from. A lot of the times, pain will travel up the body. Indeed, the stabbing, throbbing, aching in your low back, hip, or knee could be a symptom, not the cause, of your discomfort.
Any problem with the foot or ankle can result in a compromised posture or gait which can lead to knee or hip pain.
Foot problems that can cause poor posture and irregular walking patterns
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 arch pain
Neuroma
A benign growth of nerve tissue frequently found between the third and fourth toes. It brings on pain, a burning sensation, tingling, or numbness between the toes and in the ball of the foot.
Tarsal tunnel syndrome
A condition that occurs when you have a damaged or compressed tibial nerve. The tibial nerve is a nerve that runs through your tarsal tunnel, a passage in your ankle made up of bones and ligaments.
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 and forces the joint at the base of your big toe to stick out.
Excessive foot pronation (rolling in) or supination (rolling out)
Some people’s feet automatically go into a V shape when standing or walking. In this instance, the whole structure of your body is somewhat off balance, or “out of alignment.” Focus on standing and walking with proper alignment, which is when both feet remain parallel with each other. This can help ease some of the back, knee, or hip pain you’re feeling.
A New Way to Walk
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.
