Everyone will likely experience back pain at one point in their lives. If it is not at present, it can be in the future. Are you already having pains in your back? Check on the type of shoes you wear to know why. Most people do not understand that the shoes they wear play a large part in causing or increasing their back pain. That’s why you hear them ask; can flat shoes cause back pain?
Wearing high heels is not the only thing that can cause your back pain. Flat shoes also can lead to back pain. Flat shoes do not offer any form of support to your feet, resulting in pains from your feet up to your back. Wearing the wrong design of shoes can change the way you walk, stand, and run for the whole time you are wearing them. This can lead to a muscle imbalance which results in mysterious back pain or worsen existing pain. Read on to know more!
Contents
Why It’s Important to Wear the Right Shoes?
Wearing the right shoes can safeguard your feet against common injuries that may result as you walkabout. When you wear the right shoe design, it can cushion your feet from hard landings and minimize the effect of your steps. Moreover, wearing the right shoes for workouts or sports can enhance your performance, allowing you to change directions quickly without any hitch.
It Averts Back Issues
The feet are the main basis of our body support. So anyone who is always on his/her feet requires good footwear. Inappropriate footwear can lead to injuries. But boots for back pain can avert back problems.
Just think about your feet as the foundation of a house. If the base is not right, the entire building will be off. Majority of people that suffer from back pain experience it due to unsuitable shoes. If your foot doesn’t align your back properly, there is the chance that the misalignment will lead to back problems over time.
It is a great idea sometimes to add an insole to your shoes. So that it can cushion your feet from hard impacts as a result of walking. The insoles can make the position of your foot more neutral. Thus taking away the stress that passes via your ankles to your legs and up to your lower back.
Right Shoes Safeguards your Joints and Reduces Impact
The most common injuries people experience are usually on their ankles. That’s why it is important to wear supportive shoes. Most sports coaches wear customized shock absorbers for joggers and runners for cushioning during impact. Cushioning the feet is vital if you want to eliminate any chance of injury.
Right Shoes Affects your Performance
Particular shoes are specially built for a particular activity. This means that the shoes you wear are meant to safeguard against specific movements and provide support to the areas requiring them. For instance, shoes for basketball players are specially built to absorb heavy impact as you jump. Also, it provides excellent ankle support for fast turns.
When you wear footwear that recognizes what you need, you can easily work out or play more effectively. Bearing in mind that there is no risk of sustaining injury.
How Flat Feet and Back Pain Are Related?
The relationship between the two is that the legs serve as a cushion to the impact while your spine works as the major support which keeps the human body upright. This system of interconnection is the main reason flat feet is likely to induce back pain.
If you have flat feet, there is a misalignment to your ankles. This results in your legs and foot joints being at odds with each other. Furthermore, it influences the joints in your hips and knee and your way of walking.
So, this change in your walking posture adds more weight to your lower back which it can’t tolerate. Due to the extra strain, your walking posture changes also. So, when you are walking, you are likely to contort all of your lower halves.
Thus, you will be putting additional strain on your joints, thereby developing arthritis. The entire unsupported weight flattens your spinal nerves to induce back pain as well as other severe complications over time.
A noteworthy fact here, though, is that flat feet don’t mean that back pain is inevitable. After all, some have flat feet that still walk fine.
Can Flat Shoes Cause Back Pain?
Flat shoes can cause back pain. But many other factors can also lead to back pain, such as; muscle spasms, poor posture, or any other medical conditions. But then, something like the shoe you prefer to wear daily can actually affect your back.
Most flat shoes that we wear today do not provide our feet with any support while we walk. Over time, it builds up pressure that affects your lower back and hips. How?
No Appropriate Arch Support
Most flat shoes do not have arch support and padding, and this can result in the tendons and ligaments within your feet straining. All this joins together to create additional problems for the back as well as entire body pain. You may think that after all, my spine is very far away from your feet right?
What you do not realize is that the forces you unleashed while walking can move on to your legs and back. In simple terms, flat shoes don’t provide adequate arch support to sustain your spine in the right alignment. Moreover, flat shoes do not support your feet, balls, or heels, which is mostly the weight carrier of most people.
You can always take your feet and posture for assessment so that you can find out the specific support your feet need. If you must wear flats, there are fashionable designs that can provide more support.
Altered gait
Flat shoes may seem good initially when you wear them since they make you freer. But then, in the long run, they can escalate to back pain. Because; you will have to change your gait to accommodate the shoes while you walk.
Flat shoes are known to be loose-fitting on the feet. As a result, the wearer may need to curl their toes so that the shoes will not fall off as they walk. This action creates stress on your muscles which travel from the legs to the lower back. That’s why; you see some people walking unnaturally even when they are at their homes.
How Do You Prevent Back Pain Caused By Flat Shoes?
How you can prevent back pain caused by flat shoes is to wear shoes that appropriately support your feet. Doing so will keep your body properly aligned, and it can prevent back pain. In addition, you need to do the following;
- Ensure that the flat shoe you are wearing is breathable to allow your feet room to breathe. Also, it should let you to jiggle your toes inside the shoes.
- Buy shoes with insoles that can offer additional support and comfort to your legs.
- Ensure that when you purchase new shoes, their soles should have to cushion. Also, the shoe’s shape should be designed so that it can support your arches.
- Alternate between wearing heels with flats. It can give your leg and back muscles a little time off to recuperate from the strain.
- Go for shoes with a maximum heel height of 2-inches.
- Try to stretch your leg muscles before you wear your shoes. You can even try flexing your calf the whole day.
- Use cushion insoles or orthotic inserts
- Remove your shoes sometimes when you are at work
- Exercise your foot
Tips for Back-friendly Shoes
- Since the feet expand naturally during the day, always buy your shoes during the afternoon so that you can get your perfect fit.
- Anytime you want to buy shoes, measure your leg.
- Before taking any new shoe home with you, try it on, stand in them, and walk around.
- If you want to find out the width and length of the shoe, do it standing up.
- Search for shoes that have arch support and offer foot support
- Never buy shoes that are too narrow or too wide or too short or too long.
- Always examine both width and size.
- Let size become your guide and not a law. Use your comfort level to determine your shoe size and not the numbers.
- Feel the interior of the shoes through its heel and below the toes. That will help you ensure that there aren’t any tags, seams, or other things that can disturb or rub on your feet.
- Examine any shoe you want to buy for soundness and sturdiness. Check whether the shoe is thick. Does its sole stick properly to the shoes? There shouldn’t be any loose spots or gaps. Is the quality of the shoe okay with superior & durable material?
- Do not go for minimalist shoes.
- Don’t buy shoes that are too soft or too hard
- Stay away from negative heels
- Throw away any shoe that doesn’t fit you properly
- If you can, get flat shoes that are customized for back pain.
Conclusion
After going through this post, there is no doubt that you have your question: Can flat shoes cause back pain? You now know that flat shoes offer no shock absorption whatsoever. As a result, the impact that comes from your activities, such as walking, is sustained entirely by your feet.
Also, flat shoes can lead to your feet rolling inwards, otherwise called overpronation. This condition can move your hips and knees out of alignment, leading to back pain. But if you can follow the tips listed above while choosing your shoes, you don’t need to fear back pain.
