Taking good care of your feet is necessary for your overall health. In fact, it is an integral part of leading an active and healthy lifestyle. Your feet play a major role in your health as they are made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 muscles, ligaments, and tendons. With the unique and complex nature of your feet, they are responsible for providing support to your body to ensure optimal balance and posture. As helpful as your feet are when it comes to your overall health and daily life, issues with your feet can have a serious impact on both. Below you will find the various ways how feet affect your whole body.
How Feet Affect Your Whole Body
There are a number of issues that can impact the health of your feet. Hammertoe, bunions, flat feet, and plantar fasciitis are just some of the few issues. Neglecting foot health issues can lead to a number of unwanted health issues. Things like pain in the knees, hips, and lower back can disrupt your daily life and long-term health. Consider the following ways, which in your feet can affect your whole body.
Body Pain
Foot issues can actually lead to pain all over your body, including issues with your joints. This can lead to issues with your gait. Alterations to your walking pattern can cause issues with your ankles, knees, hips, lower back, and neck if not addressed right away. One major cause of joint and body pain is flat feet. Flat feet can cause ankle misalignment and affect the entire body, from your ankles to your neck. When you have issues with your gait, your body often overcompensates to reduce your pain and discomfort. Movements that overcompensate due to the original issues may worsen your condition entirely. If you experience pain in your feet, seek treatment from a plantar fasciitis doctor. They can help address the issue before it impacts other areas of your body.
Balance and Posture
Issues with your feet can lead to problems with your balance and posture. This can affect your overall balance and be a major issue for those who are elderly. This is because it increases the risk of slips, falls, and other injuries. In addition to the risks associated with balance issues, it can also impact your posture. Foot pain and other issues often cause weight redistribution. This results in a change in your posture which can impact the alignment of your entire body if it becomes habitual. This can result in serious issues with your gait as your weight redistribution can impact your ankles, knees, hips, back, and even up to your neck. Addressing the issues with your feet early on can prevent it from impacting your entire body. It can also offer major benefits, as treatment can improve your balance, posture, and gait. Treatment can vary from patient to patient and depend on the severity of the issue. Conservative treatment is often the first course of action, but minimally invasive foot pain surgery may be necessary.
Organ Function
One of the lesser-known issues that foot issues impact is your organs. The health of your feet has a direct impact on the health of your organs. Your feet have sensory nerves and touch receptors that send messages to your brain. When those receptors and nerves send messages to your brain that indicate an issue with your feet, your body automatically adjusts. The adjustment impacts your entire body, including your organs. Understanding the interconnectedness of your body is important due to the serious impact foot issues can have on it. Getting treatment right away can help reduce the impact of foot pain, so it’s important to work with a skilled foot doctor early on.