The foot-body connection is an important one. Good foot health is essential for a healthy, active life. Your feet support your entire body and help maintain balance, posture and overall musculoskeletal health.
The feet are the building blocks of the body. They contain a vast network of 26 bones, 33 joints, over 100 muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerve endings.
Here at Inspire Health Clinics board-certified foot and ankle surgeon Matthew Graff, DPM, provides top-quality foot and ankle care to the South Jordan, Utah community, and is devoted to helping you keep your feet and ankles as healthy as possible.
Feet come in a variety of sizes and shapes, which can affect the rest of the body in unexpected ways. Your feet support your entire body weight, allowing you to move freely throughout the day.
However, feet are a fairly high impact area of the body, taking the brunt of everyday impacts such as walking, running, and so on. This can lead to problems in the rest of the body over time. Let’s take a look at how foot health influences your overall health.
Back pain
Any issues with your feet may cause you to adjust your posture to compensate — usually without being consciously aware of it. Back pain can develop when you overcompensate by changing your walking patterns, which can eventually misalign your spine.
Flat feet are the most common cause of misalignment, and they can quickly affect your entire body. Starting with your ankles, problems can progress up your legs, affecting your knees, hips, spine, and even your neck. When your body compensates for these changes, you begin to sit, stand, and walk in an unhealthy manner, which can make things worse.
Joint Issues
Common foot problems, such as flat feet, can also lead to joint problems. Flat feet lack the arch support required to absorb the shock of everyday activities such as walking, standing, and especially running. This means your other joints, typically your knees and hips, bear the brunt of the impact. Because these joints aren’t designed to withstand that kind of stress, they can cause long-term issues.
Posture problems
Your feet are the foundation of your entire body. It’s not difficult to imagine that if they’re misaligned, it could lead to balance and posture issues. This makes you more prone to mishaps. Slips, falls, and spills can result in future injuries and problems.
Leg pain
Your feet contain a lot of muscles, tendons, and ligaments that connect to the rest of your body in addition to bones and joints. Any foot pain is likely to radiate into your legs. Since the soft tissue is most closely connected there, the lower legs are most frequently impacted. In fact, foot issues can cause calf pain, stiffness, soreness, or weakness in the leg muscles.
Common foot problems
Here is a list of some of the typical foot conditions that we encounter:
Flat feet
Flat feet happen when you don’t have an arch in your feet. This leads to problems with weight distribution.
Bunions
Your big toe may develop a bunion, which happens when the bones at the front of the foot move out of place, creating an inward angle toward your other toes. Both the bump and the toes themselves may become extremely irritated and inflamed.
Hammertoe
Hammertoe is characterized by one or more toes pointing downward rather than forward. It tends to cause discomfort while walking, and the toe itself might stop moving. This condition is typically brought on by arthritis, but it can also be hereditary or the result of wearing ill-fitting footwear.
Plantar fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition that affects a lot of people’s feet. Because the plantar fascia ligament, which is located in this region, is inflamed, it causes pain from the bottom of your heel to the middle of your foot.
The level of pain associated with this condition ranges widely, from dull to stinging. It is typically brought on by wearing inadequate arch support for prolonged periods of time while standing, walking, or running. Weight gain may also contribute to it because the foot may not be able to handle the additional stress.
Your feet have a special connection to the rest of your body. Your overall health can influence your foot health, and your foot health can influence your overall health.
We can evaluate your feet to ensure that your feet aren’t contributing to any larger health problems. Make an appointment with Dr. Graff today to give your feet the care they need.
To schedule a visit, give us a call or book online today.
