Understanding the Link Between Foot Pain and the Rest of Your Body

Your feet put in plenty of work daily, including walking, jumping, running, and basic things you might take for granted, like standing. When you move, your feet carry the weight of your entire body, and incorrect posture or walking with an unnatural gait can lead to a range of problems, such as foot pain.

Most people occasionally have pain in these workhorses of our lower bodies. Still, many foot conditions can also create problems in several other areas of the body. Keeping yourself healthy means understanding the connection between foot conditions and their effect on your entire body. Let’s review common foot issues and how they affect the whole body, and explore the treatment options.

Residents of the Lower Pacific Heights area of San Francisco and San Jose, California, who want to manage foot conditions and their complications for overall health, can seek help from Dr. Andrew Harrison and our medical team.

Common causes of foot pain

Conditions that affect your feet can be structural, congenital, injury-based, or result from several other issues, including: 

• Athlete’s foot: a fungal infection causing stinging, itching, and burning in the toes
• Blisters: pockets of fluid due to ill-fitting shoes, sweaty feet, or too much standing
• Corns: circles of thick skin forming due to ill-fitting shoes or other foot conditions
• Bunions: a bump on the bone of your big toe, causing it to bend toward the other toes
• Heel spurs: bony protrusions on your heel caused by calcium deposits
• Achilles tendonitis: inflammation of the tendon on the back of your heel
• Plantar fasciitis: inflammation of the plantar fascia located under your feet
• Gout: a buildup of uric acid in joints that often affects your big toe
• Hammertoe: when the big toe curves in and points down 
• Flat feet: when your feet lack an arch underneath, affecting how you walk

How does it affect your whole body?

Biomechanics studies how the human body moves. The combination of joints, muscles, and connective tissue creates a unique way of upright function for everyone. 

Walking, for example, uses much more than just your lower body when you’re in motion. In fact, your shoulders, back, and neck all form a crucial part of your posture, and foot pain can disrupt this basic mechanism. 

Posture problems mean the knees, hips, back, and neck are all at risk of injury and pain. Without proper foot health, you risk compromising how your body moves when upright.

Management and treatment options

Treating your foot conditions will help mitigate pain issues elsewhere, and we have services to manage the various problems. 

For example, custom orthotics can restore balance and correct many issues, antifungal creams can help with issues like athlete’s foot and other infections, and surgical options are available to manage other structural issues or severe problems. 

Physical therapy can also play a role in controlling pain and correcting issues with posture and balance.

Contact Dr. Harrison and our team today to address concerns about foot pain and other related issues in your posture and general health.