For those of us that have foot pain, it doesn't end there. Left untreated and ignored, foot issues can cause many other health issues in your body. So let's take a look at what some of the health side effects can be:
Systemic Health Issues Caused by Chronic Foot/Ankle Pain
Most of the issues in this category are due to the decrease seen in your activity level due to your foot/ankle issues. When it hurts to put weight on your foot, activity levels generally decline. Therefor your fitness and overall health can suffer. If you have any of the following issues that have developed since your foot or ankle started bothering you, you may be able to easily turn things around!
Weight Gain - Increased mass of your body due to decreased ability to stand, walk, or exercise.
Heart Problems - Decreased exercise will impact your heart muscles.
Type II Diabetes - Weight gain and heart issues are two signs of Diabetes, along with increased cholesterol.
Sleep Disturbances - When you do not get to move around, sleep can be harder to come by.
Sleep Apnea - As your weight increases, sleep apnea may develop adding to the difficulty of getting a full nights rest.
Decreased Bone Density - Due to less time in weight bearing activities, your bone density can decrease and you may develop osteopenia or osteoporosis.
Musculoskeletal Issues Caused by Chronic Foot/Ankle Pain
These are generally caused by changes in the way you move due to painful issues in your feet and ankles. Often times you should have these issues addressed at the same time as your foot!
Low Back Pain
Hip Issue
Nerve Entrapments
Calf Pain
Hamstring Tightness
Stress Fractures
I did not go into detail on these due to the varrying causes of the musculoskeletal issues. Just know that if you do have issues with your feet and/or ankles, some of these may arrise.
The Good News
The good news is that almost all of these are treatable by getting your body back to it's optimal condition. Resolving your foot issues may spontaneously resolve some of the musculoskeletal issues. By being able to exercise or walk again, the major health issues will also improve.
Komentarze