Are Your Feet Causing Back Pain?

For one reason or another we can often find that it is hard to view the body in a holistic manner. We are all so used to seeing each part of the body as a separate entity that it is sometimes hard to make connections between the complex effects that each part can have on another. It is also especially hard, when one aspect of our health is in difficulty, to see which other areas of our body that that pain is attached to.

In times where we have discomfort in our lower backs we will often attribute it to more obvious and recent causes, such as lifting something we shouldn’t have, or sleeping awkwardly on a bad mattress. However, we forget that so much of our time is spent on our feet doing something we very much take for granted: walking. Although this activity may seem a very mundane culprit for the cause of persistent pain, it so often is.

Don’t Forget Your Spine

When trying to tackle back pain we often forget that our spinal alignment is affected by what is happening with our feet. Every step that we take alters the way that we hold ourselves and affects different muscles all the way up our legs, through our hips and knees, into the pelvis, and so to our spines.

Conditions affecting our feet, such as plantar fasciitis, metatarsalgia, and bunions can all impact drastically upon the way we walk and keep our balance. Any unbalance can result in the subsequent joints being put under excess stress as they constantly try to balance and keep us upright. Most people have had that painful experience of hurting our toe, limping and then finding our knee to be painful as well later on. Our bodies will naturally adapt and adjust to keep us upright, even if that means taking on extra rotation of the joints or extra stress on muscles to do so. Over time this throws the rest of the body out of alignment and begins to over-stretch and stress the spine.

Feet Take the Impact

As well as this, our feet are the first point of impact from the ground when walking about. Modern pavements, shoes and lifestyles can all contribute to foot pain that translates into back pain. Walking a lot on hard surfaces such as concrete, wearing shoes which may not absorb enough impact, of if we have flattened arches in our feet may contribute to (or cause) cause back pain. Again, excess stress on the feet will carry its impact all the way up into the back, often resulting in pain far away from the place where the discomfort first arose.

It is important therefore to look after our feet, to choose our footwear carefully and to pay close attention to any mis-alignments which may be being caused.

Our friendly healthcare experts are able to offer a variety of treatments to help readjust lower back pain, something which can often be attributed to issues with the feet. We offer everything from osteopathy and massage to acupuncture and yoga classes.

Please fill out a quick and free health check questionnaire or get in touch with us to find out more about what we can offer.