Spending Hundreds of Dollars on New Shoes and Still Complaining of Foot Pain?
What next?
It’s time to ask the question: is another new shoe going to help the pain, or do I need look at something else?
Over the years, we have helped many patients determine where their pain is coming from. If we look up from the foot, we see the knee, hip and low back. Many times we say the foot is just the victim and not the source of their pain. Unfortunately, many people spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on shoes and orthotic inserts to help correct for over-pronation, over-supination, an arch that has fallen, plantar fasciitis, toe pain, etc. The list goes on and on. Sometimes the solution is not solely in the make of a shoe (no pun intended).
Our body moves collectively as a machine in which every part has an effect and is affected by regions above and below it. The diagnoses that patients are labeled with are typically a symptom from dysfunction somewhere else in the body. As a physical therapist, we are highly trained to view the entire body as a working machine. We observe normal and abnormal movement patterns that the patient may or may not be aware of.
Here is a list of problems that can lead to foot pain:
- Hip weakness or tightness
- Decreased range of motion at any joint above the foot or ankle
- Combined Medical History: diabetes, congestive heart failure, arthritic conditions known as spondyloarthropathies, conditions with an effect on ligament integrity
- Compensated walking pattern after a back injury with associated back/leg pain (recent or old injury)
- Restricted incisions from old or new abdominal surgeries
- Old surgeries in the back, hip, knee or foot that have lead to compensated muscle tightness/weakness
- Poor leg/foot posture in sitting
So the next time your foot pain starts up again, or your pain is not responding to the recent shoe purchase, start to think outside the box. Seek a Physical Therapy evaluation that will look at your strength, flexibility and patterns of movement through video analysis to get to the bottom of it!
Call today to set up your initial evaluation and move forward to happier feet and a healthier life. If you have any questions about your pains or would like to know more about treatment options that are available to you without medications, injections or surgery, please call 630-892-8003 to speak with one of our physical therapists.
PTA Staff Collaboration