Are Your Shoes Affecting Your Back

Believe it or not, what you are wearing on your feet can affect your entire body.If you're wearing high heels on a night out, you will feel that for days afterwards. If you are wearing trainers but you like high impact running, you're going to feel that in your spine and your legs. No matter how often you run. 

Your feet carry your weight whether you are walking or dancing, and so the wrong shoes can have a huge impact.you need to make sure that you don't have poor posture and you're walking is supporting your back not damaging it. Shoes that are the wrong design or the fit can cause issues and your chiropractor will be able to tell you exactly which shoes you should avoid wearing for your particular back issues. Let's take a look at how your shoes could be the blame behind your back pain.

Image source: Pexels

1. They are giving you poor posture. If you are wearing heels to the office, it may be time to switch to flats. Poor posture creates muscle tension throughout your spine which puts a strain on the soft tissues around the spinal column. This causes pain and one of the common posture mistakes you are making is the tendency to stick your bottom out while you walk. This creates a curve in your lower back that you could be avoiding by standing or walking the right way. Your chiropractor should be able to walk you through how to improve your posture. Stilettos may look pretty, but they are not great for your back.

2. They don't support your body in any way. If your feet aren't properly supported, then the rest of your body will not be properly supported either. Shoes that don't support you in the correct way will cause the position of your body to be misaligned. This will affect everything from your back to your feet with your knees and hips in between. If you are experiencing pain throughout these areas then you need to look at orthotic shoes which have support in them.

3. They are worsening an existing condition. Are you dealing with scoliosis or ankylosing spondylitis? Arthritis in the Spine or curvatures of the spine can cause pain issues, but if you're wearing the wrong shoes, they can exacerbate those issues. Speaking to a physiotherapist or an occupational therapist about footwear or insoles can really help you to improve the pain in your spine and lessen the pain from existing conditions.

4. Your shoes are stopping you from exercising. If you are gaining a lot of pain in your body because of the way that you exercise then you need to look at whether your shoes are the problem. You should be able to exercise comfortably, and that means we're in the right shoes that are still supportive and comfortable in your feet. If they're comfortable in your feet, they're going to support your spine and your hips.