MD Podiatrist Discusses Relationship Between Back Pain and Foot Function

 
 
According to Dr. Daniel Michaels, “When you pronate, or roll your feet in toward the heels, you tend to lean forward, which predisposes you to more low back pain and aggravates any previous back injury.” When walking or standing, rotating your feet to the outside often eases intermittent low back pain because it rotates your hips backward and shifts your center of gravity. Walking this way may help the back but it is not good for the feet and may cause foot pain and sprained ankles. Standing in a more upright posture will also give your back muscles a break. But, the best way to properly reduce the pressure on the spine and back muscles is to correct and balance your feet.”
  
“Since the feet are the foundation of the body, shoes play a big role in making sure that this foundation is stable, ensuring that all joints work well together and are pain-free. Wearing poorly constructed shoes or shoes that are not for your foot type can cause a significant amount of foot and maybe even back pain. Shoes that can cause back pain are extremely high heels, especially the pencil-thin ones that don’t offer much support,” says Dr. Michaels.