Losing Weight Can Also Help Your Feet
Overweight people can develop foot problems that often involve inflammation, like tendinitis. And that’s just the beginning.
Given that your feet bear the weight of your entire body as they carry you through your daily routine, it’s not surprising that being overweight can lead to foot problems.
Your Weight and Feet: Understanding the Relationship
Research has found that having too much body weight may increase your chances of a variety of painful conditions in the feet, including:
Tendon inflammation
Inflammation in the plantar fascia, the tough band of tissue in the sole of your foot
Osteoarthritis
You don’t have to be extremely obese to run into problems. “Even 25 extra pounds can tip the scales to more problems in the foot and ankle,” says James Mahoney, DPM, an associate professor of podiatric surgery at Des Moines University in Iowa.
And for people who are obese, the problems can multiply. Foot problems often develop from the changes in posture caused by carrying too much weight, says Dr. Mahoney. In these cases, the knees tend to come closer together while walking, which shifts the body weight to the insides of the feet. This can be bad for the arches and tendons in the feet and ankle, and lead to hip and back problems.
Pregnancy Prevention
Discover a Different Contraceptive That You Don’t Take Daily.
Your Weight and Feet: Specific Problems
Being overweight makes you more likely to develop several conditions that can lead to foot pain and other problems, such as:
Gout. This condition is known for causing sharp, severe pain, typically in the big toe. It can also affect other joints in your feet and ankles. Gout develops when crystals of a substance called uric acid accumulate in your joints. Being overweight makes you more likely to develop gout by increasing the production of uric acid in your body, according to the National Institutes of Health.