Weight Loss and Your Feet
It’s difficult to lose weight when your feet hurt—but excess weight
can cause foot pain. So what do you do when foot pain is preventing you
from exercising and ultimately losing weight.
Being overweight or obese changes the way the foot functions. Force on the foot increases dramatically when you
carry extra weight. Steps are shorter, the feet angle out more and flattening of the foot is increased significantly.
Multiple studies have shown greater incidences of plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, arthritis, ball-of-foot pain, fractures
and sprains affecting the feet and ankles in patients who are overweight
1- 4.
Foot Orthotics for Persons Carrying Extra Weight
Foot orthotics can minimize abnormal force on the feet and are often used to treat and prevent foot problems in those carrying excess
weight and / or trying to lose weight. A relatively firm and controlling foot orthotic is necessary to support the greater forces
caused by carrying extra weight. In addition, the orthotic must provide shock absorption to decrease the excessive stress on the
joints and help prevent arthritis. Finally, the orthotic must be extremely comfortable. Our doctors are experts in ensuring that
orthotics provide adequate support and are 100% comfortable. In fact, comfort is guaranteed.
One of the most important factors in getting the best outcome is to ensure that orthotics conform very closely to the
arch of the foot. This is demonstrated in the picture below. Note how the arch of the orthotic perfectly matches the arch
of the foot. Unfortunately, many orthotics are made that do not match the arch very well and thus are not very effective at
providing adequate support.
Figure 1: Note how closely orthotic matches contour of foot.
Also, although we use many prefabricated orthotics in our practice,
people carrying excessive weight are more likely to need custom
orthotics for best pain relief. Prefabricated orthotics simply do not
provide enough support to provide adequate relief of pain. If you cannot come into our Seattle office for an evaluation and
want to provide your feet with some support right away, you can try a pair prefabricated arch supports such as
PowerStep Arch
Supports.
Other treatments include:
If you are starting a weight loss program, we also recommend that you
talk to:
- Your primary care physician
- A registered dietician
- A personal trainer or physical therapist to work on an exercise regimen
The health benefits realized with reduction of foot pain can be tremendous. But when you combine excess weight with the
increased stress of a new exercise program, the feet can take a beating. While watching NBC’s Biggest Loser program, we
have often wondered if they have a podiatrist on staff – otherwise intense exercise like that is bound to cause some foot problems.
Reducing foot and leg pain can help you exercise in comfort. This, of
course, can help you lose weight safely and improve your overall health.
We also work with Seattle and Puget Sound weight-loss facilities to
offer a whole body approach to weight loss.
At the Foot and Ankle Center, we are dedicated to providing
clinically-effective and cost-effective treatments that allow people to
walk without pain. Make an appointment today in
our Seattle office to discuss how we can help you with your weight-loss
goals.
1. Sadat-Ali M. Plantar fascitis/calcaneal spur among security
forces personnel. Mil Med 1998; 163(1):56-57.
2. Dowling,et. al; Does obesity influence foot structure and plantar
pressure patterns in prepubescent children?; 2001; Int J Obes Relat
Metab Disord
3. Hills, et.al; Plantar pressure differences between obese and
non-obese adults: a biomechanical analysis; Int J Obes Relat Metab
Disord. 2001
4. Fabris, et. al. Computerized baropodometry in obese patients;
Obes Surg. 2006
All pages on this website © 2005-2010
Douglas Hale, DPM & Lawrence Huppin, DPM
Foot and Ankle Center of Washington, Seattle
The material provided on this web site is for informative purposes only.
If you need specific medical advice, please contact the office for an appointment.
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