4 Reasons Why Women Have More Foot Pain

4 Reasons Why Women Have More Foot Pain : Foot pain and foot problems can be annoying and uncomfortable. But does being a woman make you more susceptible to developing foot problems? Possibly. Watch out for these 4 major risk factors why women have more foot pain:

High Heels

Face it ladies, frequent wearing of high heels is simply a recipe for disaster when it comes to preventing foot, leg, and back pain. Why? Well not only do high heels arch your foot and narrow your toes into an unnatural point, but they alter your gait, shift your hips forward, and and make your ankle more vulnerable to injury.

High heels are major culprits of painful foot conditions like:

Hammertoes – where the top joint of one or more toes is permanently bent downwards
Bunions – protrusive bony growth at bottom joint of big toe
Metatarsalgia – painful inflammation and loss of cushioning around the bones in the ball of the foot
Achilles tendinitis – high heel use can shorten the Achilles tendon leading to strain and spasming

Orthotic aids like bunion splints, hammer toe pads, and Achilles tendonitis braces can help alleviate pain, but avoiding high heel use as much as possible is your best bet to eliminating pain for good.

Standing Jobs

According the National Center for Education Statistics, roughly 75% of teachers are female. Recent census data reveals that over 90% of nurses are female as well. Let’s not even think about retail, hairdressing, and other countless jobs that women comprise large percentages of which require constant or prolonged standing.

Wearing older worn out shoes or fashionable heels while standing all day means your arch isn’t getting the support it needs, your pronation and gait are thrown off, your posture suffers, and your feet are more susceptible to injury and pain. Investing in comfortable and stabilizing orthotic shoes while standing at work throughout the day can make a huge difference in soothing chronic foot pain.

Harder to Lose Weight

If you’ve struggled to lose those last five pounds but watched your husband shed weight like it’s his job, you’ll understand why this is important. Studies have shown that because muscle burns calories at a higher rate than fat, and men genetically have more muscle, their metabolisms are higher, making it easier to lose weight.

What does this mean for your feet as a woman? With an estimated 64% of women being overweight or obese, the exorbitant pressure and stress placed on vulnerable ankle and foot bones actually tilts the body forward, shifting the center of gravity. This pulls on the spine and adjacent muscles resulting in everything from back to hip, knee, and foot pain.

Being obese also places you at higher risk for conditions like diabetes and gout which come with their own group of foot issues like nerve damage and joint inflammation. Losing weight through healthy eating and regular exercise could benefit not only your overall heart, bone, and muscle health, but any foot issues you may be experiencing as well.

Pregnancy

The vast array of changes a woman’s body goes through during pregnancy is magnificent, but one not so welcomed change is the foot pain and swelling that occurs. Largely due to drastic weight gain as baby grows, the weight-bearing stance of pregnant women is shifted forwarded adding stress to the knees and feet specifically.

Pain in the heel, arch, and ball of the foot may be accompanied by leg cramping, varicose veins, and edema (swelling of the feet due to increased blood being circulated during pregnancy). Pregnant women can manage some of these symptoms with orthotics to address irregular pronation, like insoles for arch issues, as well as elevating swollen feet and wearing larger shoes that fit and support feet during pregnancy more comfortably.

Genetics can also play a role in putting more women at risk for foot injuries as females generally have less cartilage and lower bone and joint volume in the ankle compared to men.

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