If you experience back pain, you probably assume the pain originates in your back. However, there are a lot of potential causes for back pain, many of which don’t have to do with the back at all! One body part that people don’t consider when contemplating spinal problems is the foot. Foot posture can actually have a major impact on the spine.
The spinal experts in San Francisco, CA, and Lakewood, CO – Posture Works are well-equipped to diagnose and create a treatment plan for foot-related back problems. Our methods may potentially alleviate the problem and help you achieve a more comfortable lifestyle. Here’s what you should know.
Feet are the body’s foundation
Whenever you stand, walk, or run, your feet help support the entire weight of your body. Problems in the feet can radiate to other areas, such as the knees, hips, thighs, and even the back and spine. If your foot posture isn’t correct, the other parts of your legs and back aren’t getting the full support they need.
Two types of improper foot posture are common causes of back pain. The first is pronation — the inward motion of the foot. This is common when feet are “flat” or have collapsed arches while running, walking, or standing.
Some pronation is necessary to allow the legs and feet to move fluidly without putting pressure on other parts of the body. However, some people’s feet move inward excessively — a problem referred to as overpronation. This puts unnecessary stress on the hips, knees, and lower back.
Supination is the opposite of pronation, causing the foot to turn outward slightly. Oversupination, the excessive outward rotation of the foot, may lead to additional strain on the legs and hips, as well.
Over time, both of these problems may cause lower back pain by putting stress on the pelvis and destabilizing the lumbar spine.
Potential solutions to foot-related back pain
When you start experiencing back pain, the best thing to do is visit a chiropractor for an examination and diagnosis. Without a professional’s help, you can’t be certain of the true cause of your back pain.
If your feet are the problem, you have a few options. The first is wearing proper footwear that provides adequate support for your foot’s arch. Good arch support may help alleviate overpronation or oversupination to allow your foot and leg to move properly.
Another treatment option is foot posture correction exercises. Completing routine exercises may help strengthen the muscles in your foot, so your feet are able to more easily hold their proper posture.
Finally, if your hips and spine have fallen out of alignment as a result of poor foot posture, chiropractic adjustment may help realign your back and legs to alleviate pain and improve range of motion. Combined, these three treatment methods may help solve your foot posture problem and lead to healthy movement.
If you’re experiencing foot and back pain, visit Posture Works in San Francisco, CA, and Lakewood, CO. Using our holistic Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) approach, we can diagnose the root of your pain and design a specialized treatment plan to treat the problem at its source. Call us today to learn more.
Chiropractic BioPhysics, or CBP, is one of the most scientific, researched, and results-oriented corrective care techniques. CBP-trained chiropractors aim to realign the spine back to health, eliminating nerve interference and addressing the source of pain, fatigue, and disease. As with all chiropractic care, CBP is gentle, painless, and non-invasive.
