If you've ever had back pain, you know how debilitating it can be. With over 80% of the U.S. population complaining of back pain, it has become the norm and it is essential to know what causes it if you want to solve the issue. There's a good chance your feet are to blame. This is why:
While most of your time spent walking (even if you're not constantly on your feet) is on hard, unnatural surfaces like asphalt, wood, marble, or tile. While this seems to be the norm, you have to realize that with technology evolving faster than our bodies can, it's not the norm to our bodies. In other words, our feet are better suited for grass, mud, sand, and other natural surfaces. These natural surfaces are softer and shape to the structure of your feet as you walk. This support is essential as it helps your arches, muscles, ligaments, and tendons of the lower leg and foot to work together to keep you supported. The problem is that most of us aren't usually walking on these soft surfaces.
Your Feet & Your Low Back
Your knees, your lower back, and your feet are the three parts of you body that help absorb shock as you walk and move. So, if your feet are flat they cannot absorb the shock of movement properly. This increased impact then feeds into your knees and they have to compensate. This compensation can only last for so long. Eventually, your knees will weaken and your lower back will begin to compensate. Your lower back, especially when slightly misaligned will wear out quickly and lead to increased back pain.
So, here are a few tips that can help you find relief:
Wear shoes with good arch support and shoes that help to absorb shock
Consider custom orthotics to ensure proper support. Ask us about Foot Levelers if you are interested.
Have your spine, pelvis, and lower extremities adjusted at our practice.
Wondering what else you can do to combat low back pain? We offer custom orthotics so as about them during your next visit!