Summertime seems like it’s just around the corner, and that means ditching the boots and tennis shoes for flip flops…. right? Wrong! We need to take care of our feet all year long. Our feet support our entire body, and the right support underneath them is important. It can be quite an adjustment for the feet to go from supportive footwear all winter long, to sandals and flip flops that offer little-to-no support. In fact, since the mechanics of the feet can impact joints further up the body when walking or standing (we call this the kinetic chain), slipping into those floppy sandals can affect the knees, hips, and low back as well. Have you ever noticed your low back starting to hurt after standing too long in flat shoes? Well then it’s time to add a little support back under those feet.
If your feet don’t have the right kind of support, and you do a lot of walking or standing throughout the day, you may even begin to develop pain in the feet or heels. It is common for people who don’t wear appropriate footwear to experience pain like this, known as plantar fasciitis. This is just one of the injuries that can result from not taking proper care of your feet. The bottom line is: if you must wear those cute sandals you just bought for summer, wear them on a day that you’re not going to be doing too much activity. If you have a long day of walking or standing ahead of you, be nice to your feet and give them the proper support with tennis shoes or supportive dress shoes. You can even add extra arch support with an over-the-counter orthotic if the shoe doesn’t have it already built in. Your feet, and the rest of your body, will thank you!
If you do develop pain in the feet, or another related injury, you can always call your local physical therapist or speak to your physician about treatment options.
Paige Koehne, PT, DPT, CMTPT
Physical Therapist
Andover Physical Therapy
PTC_therapy July 29th, 2016
Posted In: General