You might not immediately associate back pain symptoms with your feet. Similarly, it’s not always obvious that issues in your back can lead to foot pain. Nevertheless, the link between back pain and your feet is both real and significant.
At Podiatry Hotline Foot & Ankle in Mission Viejo, California, we make that connection, and we have the answers for the pain you’re experiencing. Let’s take a closer look at how your feet influence back pain as well as some of the options you have for treatment.
Back pain can arise directly from foot problems or as a secondary condition. Your feet serve as your body’s anchor to the ground, and it’s there that balance and weight distribution begin.
Simple balance isn’t enough to function, since your body is in near-constant movement when you’re awake. The curve of your spine helps by providing cantilevered support, while still maintaining points of both dynamic and static balance.
Changes to your gait and standing posture start with your feet and affect the rest of your body when you make adjustments for movement and external loads. Your feet can cause back pain whenever inefficiencies of movement and posture negatively affect your biomechanics.
Your feet and how you care for them can have cascading effects on your entire body. Here are a few examples of these connections.
When you have low or no foot arches, your ankles have an inward tilt, which in turn changes the orientation of your knees, and that affects the way your hips move. The problems don’t stop there, though, since these changes affect your sacroiliac joint, the spot where your pelvis and spine connect.
These microalignment issues add up, with each joint compensating and robbing your body of its natural balance. The curve of your spine changes in compensation, too, leading to problems such as sciatica, spinal stenosis, and herniated discs, all potential back pain contributors.
People with overly high arches may have similar problems with outward tilts.
Something as simple as a blister can change the way you walk. Other foot problems, such as bunions, calluses, corns, and hammertoes, can also affect the way you move, triggering a cascade of compromised balance and posture that ultimately impacts your back.
Stylish footwear isn’t always comfortable or supportive. You may have little or no arch support, and tight toe boxes can cause a range of foot problems. Even otherwise comfortable and supportive shoes must fit properly for maximum benefits.
The back/foot connection works down too. Sciatica can cause sensory and motor problems along the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back to your feet. Herniated discs and spinal stenosis can contribute to sciatica and other nerve compression.
Favoring movement to avoid back pain can cause imbalances and uneven loads in your feet.
Contact Podiatry Hotline Foot & Ankle for diagnosis and treatment to break the cycle. We offer services, including custom orthotics, to give your feet and back the help they need. Call or click to book your appointment today.
