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Women's Foot Health
Women tend to suffer more regularly from foot pain and are also more vulnerable to certain foot problems.
This is largely due to the wearing of narrow fitting shoes that squeeze the toes together and from high heels that shorten the calf muscles and achilles tendon, overloads the forefoot and poses a myriad of foot and ankle problems.
Another reason women may suffer from more foot and lower limb pain is due to peri-menopause and menopause. During peri-menopause and menopause oestrogen levels are reduced, which contributes to the hot flushes, sleep disturbances, weight gain etc.
But reduced oestrogen levels also has an impact on our musculo-skeletal system. Reduced oestrogen affects our collagen production, which is essentially the building block of our muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments and skin. With less collagen being made our musculo-skeletal system is less resilient, has less elasticity and reduced capacity to repair > hence increased risk of developing soft tissue injury and joint pain.
Other reasons women may suffer from foot and lower limb problems:
- Broader hips (increased Q angle) which places greater strain on the knees and feet
- Women tend to have smaller feet then men, but may carry just as much body weight
- Women tend to spend every waking hour of the day on their feet, from early morning chores to cooking and cleaning at night time
- During pregnancy, women carry extra weight on their lower extremity and have the hormone Relaxin racing through their body making them more flexible and prone to injury
- Contraceptive Pill may increase risk of ligament type injuries
Women may be more prone to getting the following foot and ankle problems: Plantar Fasciitis or heel pain and a myriad of forefoot pain (Bunions, Morton’s Neuroma, Metatarsalgia).
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At Foundation Podiatry Townsville we understand the psycho-social impacts of chronic pain and pride ourselves on successfully managing the myriad of Women’s foot problems, so reach out to us today!
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