Poor Shoe Choices Now Mean Foot Pain Later
September 29, 2009 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
You really want those gorgeous heels in the window, you like wearing your flip flops every day, or you just have to have the latest style of pointy toes – but watch what type of shoes you wear. The kind of shoes you wear as a young adult will have a strong impact on the health of your feet later on in life.
I’d classify this particular study as a Duh study if it weren’t so serious. After all, we do know that certain types of shoes can cause problems, such as bunions, hammertoes and fallen arches. We also know that more women have foot problems than do men. So do we really need a study to tell us that we’re doing it to ourselves?
Researchers in the United States studied 3372 people (1900 women) to evaluate the health of their feet. The study findings were published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research. The study subjects were asked about the types of shoes they wore both now and in the past and if they had any pain in their feet. If they did have pain, they were asked to qualify the pain – describe where it was, when it happened and how often it occurred.
The groups were divided according to their ages when they wore certain types of shoes and the shoes were divided into groups as well:
- good (low risk shoes including athletic and casual sneakers)
- average (mid risk shoes such as hard- or rubber-soled shoes, special shoes and work boots)
- poor (high-risk shoewear that lack support and sound structure, including high-heeled shoes, sandals, and slippers).
As expected, the researchers found that more women reported general foot pain (29%) than men (19%). The women also had more pain in the hindfoot, which is typical of shoe-related pain, particularly from high heels.
Types of Problems Caused by Shoes
Bunions are (MedLinePlus.com):
- Red, calloused skin along the inside edge of the big toe
- A bony bump at this site
- Pain over the joint, aggravated by pressure from shoes
- Big toe turned toward the other toes
Although bunions may run in families, narrow heeled shoes are the most common cause.
Hammertoes are (MedLinePlus.com):
- Callus forms on the sole of the foot
- Claw-like deformity of a toe
- Corn forms on the top of a toe
- Foot pain — pain in the joint where the great toe joins the foot
Fallen arches are:
- The arch of your foot is flat on the ground aligned with the heel and ball of the foot
Plantar fasciitis is:
- Inflammation of the band of tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot
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Image: PhotoXpress.com
