Got Low Back Pain? Your Feet May Be to Blame!
Kevin Wong
It may seem counterintuitive at first, but if you're suffering from low back pain, your feet may be to blame.
Say what?
The research is compelling. "Bad" feet are linked to bad backs, and fixing bad feet—even if they don't hurt—can make a huge difference in the treatment of low back pain.
As one study noted, "There are small but important, intersegmental movements of the spine during gait" (walking). If you have foot problems, pain and degeneration throughout the body can occur. In fact, researchers have found that poor foot mechanics "can adversely influence the normal functions of the ankle, knee, hip, and even the back."1
Consider the fact that your feet are critical to your body structure. They support your entire weight; balance and propel you; and adapt to and absorb walking stresses. If your feet are problematic, they can't do their job(s) correctly, which means some of the stress and shock that should have been absorbed by the feet travels up the legs, through the spine, and impacts everything above (even headaches have been tied to foot problems—that's right, headaches!). It also means your body may be thrown off-balance, even if that's imperceptible to the naked eye. Step after step, day after day, symptoms worsen as these problems are reinforced.
The bad news is that our bodies are imperfect by nature. The good news is that there are tools and products we can use, such as eyeglasses, nutritional supplements, and custom orthotics, to help keep our bodies as healthy and pain-free as possible. We'll talk more about orthotics below.
"But Doctor, My Feet Don't Hurt" (Plus a Quick Lesson on Pronation)
I hear this in my office all the time as I'm preparing to examine a patient's feet. You may be saying this to yourself now.
My answer is just because you don't feel symptoms in your feet, that does not mean they are problemfree. Subluxated or mispositioned joints may not be painful, but they can cause biomechanical issues,
neurological deficits, and other problems not necessarily related to pain.
One of those "silent" problems is overpronation, which may affect as much as 77% of the population, or three out of four adults. What in the heck is "pronation"? In short, pronation describes the wayyourfoot rolls slightly inward when you walk and run, specifically, as your foot makes contact with the ground. Pronation is nature's way of reducing shock on the feet, legs, and everything above, and it's part of the "gait cycle," or the interrelated sets of movements that keep you mobile while upright.
Pronation is problematic when it's excessive (overpronation). Those who overpronate are more susceptible to injury—including to the low back—and are putting the entire body at risk. After all, with the body's foundation (the feet) compromised and unable to do its primary jobs of providing stability and managing shock, the joints, muscles, and bones up above become unstable. They also are hit with more than their fair share of shock. This cause and effect worsens as the body ages. Is it any wonder that a study conducted in 2013 concluded that women who overpronate are 50 percent more likely than those with "normal" feet to suffer from low back pain?2
Custom orthotics help support and stabilize the feet so they help keep you healthy and pain-free. In my practice, I recommend flexible custom-made orthotics that support all three arches of the foot. Yes, each foot has three arches, and supporting each one is critical for optimal foot functioning.
"I Don't Need Orthotics. Adjustments Will Be Enough"
You know how great you feel as you leave your chiropractor's office? Your back pain may have subsided
after just a few adjustments, and how great is that? Indeed, adjustments are powerful; in chiropracticspeak, they helped eliminate subluxations in your spine. The term "subluxation" describes what happens when spinal joints are shifted out of ideal alignment because of stress, trauma, or chemical imbalances.
Since the nervous system (spine/nerves/brain) is "command central" of the body, eliminating subluxations helps the body do its thing better. Adjustments reduce pressure on the nerves, easing the flow of communication and signals between them. Also, adjustments trigger the release of endorphins, which cause a near-instant relief of pain.
But what happens when the effects of that adjustment "wear off"? Or when you're not getting the kind of relief you were hoping for—your body is just not responding as well as it should? This is likely an indication of problems beyond the spine. Frequently, pain or other symptoms in the body start with—you guessed it—the feet.
Orthotics, which support and stabilize your body from its foundation, help chiropractic adjustments hold longer and stronger. Subluxations occur less frequently, which is good news for your all-important nervous system, and great news for sufferers of chronic low back pain.
A Walking Disaster
Still not convinced of the foot-back connection?
Consider that the average American takes 5,117 steps a day (though really, we should be taking between 7,000 and 10,000 steps according to experts, but that's another article for another time). With each step, overpronation can cause (and reinforce) degenerative changes in the muscles, joints, and connective tissues of the feet. With the body's foundation compromised, feet aren't able to do their job of protecting the rest of the body. Shock radiates through the entire structure.
Each of those 5,117 steps a day (more if you're active) reinforces these problems every time your foot hits the ground. Step after step, day after day—after day after day after day. It should come as no surprise that dysfunctional feet can lead to chronic pain and problems throughout the body, including the low back, especially in later life.
Foundational Support
Chiropractors are trained to look at a patient's entire body structure, and the feet are the foundation of the structure. Think of your body as a building. The way the building is put together is important because it
determines how it will hold up to stress and age. The foundation is especially important because everything sits on top of it. When there are cracks in the walls or ceiling (i.e., the low back pain or headaches that prompted you to call the doctor in the first place), problems in the foundation may be to blame.
If you experience low back pain, have your chiropractor examine your feet. Correcting problems down below can do wonders for low back pain—indeed, for your quality of life—and custom orthotics are research-proven to do just that.
Sources:
1. Katoh Y, et at. Biomechanical analysis of foot function during gait and clinical applications. Clin Orthop Rel Res, 1983;177:23-33.
2. Hylton, B. Foot posture, foot function and low back pain: The Framingham Foot Study. Rheumatology; 2013.
Dr. Kevin Wong is a 1996 summa cum laude graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic West. A past instructor of chiropractic technique for the college, he B is currently part of the adjunctfaculty. Dr Wong is also a past lecturer and instructor for the International Chiropractic Association of California. Currently, he is in full-time practice in Orinda, California, and has been a speaker for Foot Levelers for many years.
