The feet are the foundation of the body. The feet carry the body’s entire weight allowing for movement with ease. The feet are a complex structure that consists of:

• Bones
• Joints
• Muscles
• Ligaments
• Tendons
• Nerve endings

Because of this, the feet are a high-impact area taking the everyday forces that come from:

• Balancing
• Walking
• Running
• Stopping
• Twisting
• Shifting positions
• Tiptoe reaching

 

Common Symptoms

Symptoms commonly caused by foot issues include:

• Soreness
• Stiffness
• Leg pain
• Muscle Weakness
• Poor balance

Flat feet, fallen arches, injuries, bone spurs, and other issues can cause problems with the rest of the body. The most common are:

 

Back Problems

When foot issues are present it’s common to change walking postures to avoid pain and discomfort. Individuals often do not realize they are doing it until the awkward postures begin to present with pain and discomfort. Overcompensation combined with unhealthy walking patterns can cause back pain. This is because the spine is becoming misaligned. Balance of the body is crucial. When something shifts the proper balance, the whole spine can shift out of alignment. This is especially true for individuals with flat feet. Flat feet can cause the ankle/s to lose alignment. This leads to problems up the body, from the knees to the hips to the spine and neck.  

Joint Pain

Imbalances cause the feet and spine to not absorb shocks from everyday activity properly. This means the rest of the body, especially the joints, have an added job of absorbing the shock/impact. As time goes on the stress and shock can lead to severe ankle, knee, hip discomfort/pain, and malfunctions.  

Posture Imbalance

These misalignments cause imbalance and posture problems. When the feet have lost the proper anchoring and alignment, overall posture and balance become affected. This increases the risk for dangerous slip and fall accidents that can exacerbate or cause new injuries. Posture problems are usually the result of the body trying to redistribute weight to reduce the pain and because it works then becomes a bad habit.  

Referred and Radiating Pain

The muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the feet connect to the rest of the body. Any pain/issues like calf pain or weakness in the feet can begin to present in the lower leg since that is where the soft tissue is most closely connected.  

Foot Problems/Issues

The most common foot problems podiatrists see that lead to the aforementioned ailments.  

Flat Feet

Flat feet also known as fallen arches. This is a condition where the feet lack or have lost the arch when standing. This can be quite uncomfortable and creates weight distribution problems. It can be a genetic condition but is also be the result of wearing shoes without arch support for a prolonged time.  

Corns and Bunions

Corns are round circles of thick skin on the toes, or on the soles of the feet. The body forms them naturally to prevent blisters, but they could be the result of poorly fitting shoes. Typically they are not painful when they form, but can become irritated over time. Bunions are bumps on the side of the big toe that can cause a bending inward toward the other toes, creating a painful angle. This can cause severe irritation and inflammation in the bump and toes. These can be genetic or caused by structural problems. But they can be caused by tight-fitting shoes or excess pressure on the feet for prolonged periods.  

Hammertoe

Hammertoe, also known as mallet toe, is a condition that makes one or more of the toes pointing down rather than straight. Walking can cause pain, and movement of the toe can reduce or stop completely. This is caused by arthritis or an injury, it can be genetic, or the result of poor footwear.  

Plantar Fasciitis

This condition causes pain that goes from the bottom of the heel to the middle of the foot. It is caused by inflammation of the plantar fascia ligament also located in this area. There is a wide range of pain levels that can range from dull to stabbing. It is often caused by poor footwear with no arch support that has been worn for long periods when walking, standing, and running. Weight gain is another cause, as the added weight could be too much for the foot to manage, causing strain.  

Shoes

Individuals that wear high heels, shoes that are the wrong size, or other uncomfortable footwear consistently will more likely develop the aforementioned issues. Shoes with proper support are essential to optimal foot and body health because they evenly distribute the weight of the body lessening the impact from everyday activities.  

Foot Orthotics

Another recommended option for alleviating foot issues is custom foot orthotic inserts. These can be fit into any shoe, and are customized to an individual’s feet. They’re affordable, and allow individuals to wear their shoes without pain.  

Chiropractic & Physical Therapy

Chiropractic and physical therapy can help alleviate the pain that is resultant from foot problems. Seeing a podiatrist can treat the root cause of the condition, but the rest of the body could need chiropractic readjusting from the misalignment/s.

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Custom Orthotics

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Heat-related illnesses

Heat-related illnesses vary in their severity, but even light symptoms need immediate action to correct the problem before it does become severe.  

Heat cramps

When exercising in the heat painful cramps can present. The affected muscle/s might feel hard, spasm, or generate sharp pain. The body temperature could still be within normal limits.  

Heat syncope

Syncope is a loss of consciousness, that is usually recognized as exercise-related collapse. However, before this happens, there may be a feeling of lightheadedness or fainting. This happens when temperatures are high and the individual has been standing or exercising for a long time. The same can occur when standing up quickly after sitting for a long time.  

Heat exhaustion

Heat exhaustion happens when the body temperature exceeds normal limits and rises as high as 104. This can cause nausea, weakness, cold, fainting, headaches, and vomiting. The body continues to sweat, but the skin may feel cold and clammy.  

Heatstroke and Sunstroke

Heat exhaustion untreated leads to heatstroke or sunstroke. The body’s core temperature is greater than 104 degrees and in a life-threatening emergency. The skin is no longer capable of sweating and can feel dry or moist. Individuals can become confused, irritable, and experience heart arrhythmias. Immediate medical emergency treatment is necessary to stop brain damage, organ failure, and death.  

Disclaimer

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the musculoskeletal system’s injuries or disorders. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP, CIFM, CTG* email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com phone: 915-850-0900 Licensed in Texas & New Mexico  

References

Joint Bone Spine. (December 2014) “Effects of unstable shoes on chronic low back pain in health professionals: A randomized controlled trial” www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1297319X14001456

Your Foot Type Matters: Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. (July 2018) “Association between the hyper-pronated foot and the degree of severity of disability in patients with non-specific low back pain” www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1360859217303388

How to Find the Right Shoes: International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. (December 2001) “Biomechanical effects of wearing high-heeled shoes” www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169814101000385