Foot Pain: Feet Shouldn’t Hurt
By Anthony Allen, CPED
If you were to get a headache every day, you probably wouldn’t think to yourself that it was part of life to get headaches. But many people live everyday with foot pain and/or sore, achy feet. People think that this is a normal part of life, when in fact, it is no different than having a headache.
Know your feet and why you experience foot pain
Your feet are very complex machines, with about 52 bones, 66 joints, and about 200 muscles, tendons and ligaments that are all working together in balance, so that you can live a fun, and pain-free life. Feet are built to be super tough and adaptable; you may end up walking thousands of miles in a lifetime. They will help you jump, run, and support your bodyweight for all the years you’ll live.
Over the course of your life, it is not uncommon for things in your body to start to loose strength or elasticity; things just start to give out and lengthen with overuse. Your feet are no different. The collagen fibers and ligaments in your feet that hold your bones together will lose their tightness over time and lengthen out, usually with one foot falling a little further than the other, leading to different types of foot pain. This leads to an imbalance in your feet that can cause pain in your heel, toes, and the arch or anywhere else your foot is not healthy.
Because feet turn your legs inward or outward when they collapse, this affects the joints, muscles and ligaments in your legs and hips as well as the alignment of the vertebrae in your back. A lot of back problems can be brought on by bad feet.
Some people are born with problems, like polio or clubfeet, while others acquire problems from accidents and injuries, or systematic diseases such as diabetes. Each foot problem has its own specific solution. You should be evaluated medically by a foot specialist, making sure your footwear is appropriate and arches are being supported properly in order to solve your specific problems.
Solutions for foot pain
There are many shoes that are designed for support or cushioning, and each individual pair of feet needs the right shoes under them to be comfortable. Alternative pain solutions can be found with arch supports or custom-made orthotics that can bring your foot back into a healthy position and eliminating the biomechanical problems as well as the pain and discomfort that comes with it.
There are also a great number of specialists that solve foot and foot related problems such as a Podiatrist (Doctor of Podiatric Medicine), a Pedorthist (Orthotic specialist and fabricator), Massage Therapist, Acupuncturist, Chiropractor and many more. There is no shortage of help for your achy/sore feet if you’re looking in the right places. Sometimes it may take time, and a team of providers working together with one patient, in order to achieve the goal of getting rid of foot pain and the problems associated with it.
Free from foot pain
When your feet start working right, then you can get back to living a healthy lifestyle and do the things that are important to keep up the rest of your body. Your heart and lungs will thank you in the end and you’ll live a more comfortable life.
Simply Feet is dedicated to educating people and helping them determine the best way to achieve a pain free life with our special one-on-one evaluations.
Contact us today to schedule your custom orthotics fitting.
(520) 399•1365
We are located at 5956 East Pima Street #130, Room 2, Tucson, AZ 85712
