Top 3 Ways Weight Affects Your Feet

It’s hard to not be aware of the societal issue of weight gain and obesity in today’s culture. Sometimes, this makes it hard to be aware of our own issues regarding weight and obesity, which can prevent us from addressing those issues for the benefit of our health.

Did you know that many doctors today are actually prescribing exercise as a therapeutic treatment for various health conditions? Exercise is not only great for boosting your mood but it keeps your muscles, joints, and tendons lubricated and flexible. In turn, this can help slow down the progression of age-related issues and some of the symptoms from foot and ankle conditions like plantar fasciitis or arthritis.

While weight gain can worsen or trigger the development of these issues, did you know that untreated foot and ankle problems can also lead to weight gain by keeping you less active due to pain? Out of all the podiatry issues you could imagine, these are the top three ways weight gain can affect your feet:

• Losing the arch in your feet - when we’re overweight, this puts extra pressure on our feet. Over time, this pressure can cause the irreversible flattening of the arches of our feet. This potentially could lead to instability on your feet that can make you vulnerable to injuring your feet or ankles.

• Pain in your heel - conditions that cause heel pain such as heel spurs or plantar fasciitis can develop or worsen due to weight gain. Conditions like plantar fasciitis often hurt the most in the morning and after a long day of being on your feet, which can make getting to the gym after work nearly impossible.

• Slowing down due to arthritis - while there are several types of arthritis, osteoarthritis is most commonly developed due to excess weight wearing down the cartilage in our joints. Arthritis can lead to stiff and painful joints which can prevent you from feeling up to exercising.

You don’t have to deal with the pain and give up on getting fit! Our podiatrists are here to help: Dr. Jeffrey S. Kahn, Dr. Raffaella R. Pascarella, Dr. Craig M. Kaufman, and Dr. Ayman M. Latif. With locations throughout Hartford and Middlesex Counties, as well as Greater Hartford and Bristol, our doctors at Connecticut Foot Care Center, LLC lead the podiatry scene. Call us today to schedule an early morning or late evening appointment!