In the kid song “Dem Bones,” we learn that “the toe bone’s connected to the foot bone, the foot bone’s connected to the ankle bone, the ankle bone’s connected to the leg bone,” and so on right up to the neck bone being connected to the head bone. Although it’s a silly song, the point it makes is important — all the parts of your body are connected and interact.
At Podiatry Institute of Southern California in Culver City, California, Albert A. Nejat, DPM, FACFAS, and his staff have the training and experience to recognize when back pain is actually caused by a problem with your feet.
Here, we look at how issues with your feet can contribute to back pain and outline several treatment options that may help.
Your back pain may stem directly from an issue in your feet, or a foot problem may be causing you to stand or walk in a way that leads to back pain.
Your feet play an important role in balance and weight distribution. While your spine’s natural curves help support your body and absorb impact, balance—whether you’re standing still or moving—your feet help maintain static (stillness) and dynamic (movement) balance.
Changes to your posture when you’re standing, or to your gait when you walk, begin with your feet. Your feet adjust for your movements, and for any extra weight you’re carrying, whether it’s a bag of groceries or a set of dumbbells. Inefficient movement or poor biomechanics can lead to back pain.
Your foot health and your entire body are connected. Here are some examples of how:
Having no, very low, or exceptionally high arches affects the way your ankles tilt and changes how your knees move. Just like in the song, your knees affect your hips. Your hips connect to your spine at your sacroiliac joint in your lower back.
At each of those points, even very small misalignments can add up and impact your balance, causing the curve in your spine to compensate. Sciatica, spinal stenosis, and herniated discs are some examples of issues that can cause back pain as a result of poor alignment.
Your gait, or the way you walk, is more sensitive than you likely realize. Even something as simple as a blister can change your gait. Foot problems such as corns, calluses, and bunions can lead to changed gait, compromised balance, and poor biomechanics that result in back pain.
Sometimes style comes first, but that may mean you choose shoes that have inadequate arch support, are tight in the toes, or have other issues that cause foot problems. Even if your shoes are comfortable, if they don’t fit properly, they can lead to issues that cause pain in your feet and back.
These connections mean problems can run both ways: from your feet to your back or from your back to your feet. For example, sciatica, a nerve issue, can cause sensory and motor problems that affect your feet.
Similarly, a herniated disc or spinal stenosis can contribute to nerve compression that impacts your feet. If you have back pain that causes you to change how you move, it can cause an uneven load on your feet, which can be painful.
If your feet hurt, or you have any of the problems described here and think they could be related to back pain, we encourage you to call us at the Podiatry Institute of Southern California or request an appointment online today to discuss it with Dr. Nejat.
