remember slim good body from Saturday morning TV it was a short between cartoons he wore a bodysuit with his Skeleton on it and sang songs about the human body my name is Dr Andrew Schneider and I'm a podiatrist in Houston Texas his point was that everything was connected the backbones connected to the thigh bone the thigh bones connected to the knee bone the knee bones connected to the leg bone the leg bones connected to the foot bone you know the song in today's video I'm going to discuss the relationship between feet and back pain and also your back and foot pain but before I do let others know about these videos please like comment hit the Subscribe button and share on social media this will help others find this information [Music] one of my early introductions to Podiatry was because of a friend of the family he was about to have back surgery before he did his friend the podiatrist asked to make him a pair of custom orthotics to help his back he couldn't see the correlation but agreed lo and behold the custom foot Orthotics cured his back pain surgery was canceled this story has stuck with me several times a week I'm in the position to explain to a patient that their foot pain is due to a back issue or a foot issue is causing their back pain with millions of people suffering from low back pain every day many don't realize that their feet are part of the problem while some people tend to blame their back pain on stress lack of sleep poor posture or even aging the truth is that most cases of lower back pain stem from problems with the muscles ligaments joints and the bones of the spine itself one common misconception about back pain is that it stems from sitting too much or being overweight however research suggests that the majority of the cases of back pain occurs because something else entirely such as muscle strain or pinched nerves or herniated discs in fact according to the American Academy of orthopedic surgeons up to 80 percent of patients with lower back pain report symptoms related to foot disorders however while the exact cause of back pain may vary widely from person to person certain factors can increase your risk of developing back pain for example wearing high heels carrying heavy bags walking barefoot working long hours without taking breaks can all put extra pressure on your back and lead to back pain lower back pain can have many different reasons but one of the most common is likely a problem with the sciatic nerve this nerve runs from the lower part of your spine down your legs and is responsible for carrying signals between the brain and the rest of the body if something compresses or irritates the sciatic nerve you might experience pain in your lower back or feet the sciatic nerve is actually composed of several smaller nerves that run together in one larger nerve so there are actually five separate nerves that make up the sciatic nerve these nerves Branch off from the spinal cord travel along the side of your pelvis and go down each leg they end in muscles and Joints including the hip the knee ankle foot and your toes when the sciatic nerve gets irritated or squeezed you may notice some symptoms like numbness tingling burning weakness and pain in the bottom of your foot you also May notice pain in your buttocks hips thighs knees and your back sometimes your lower back pain may be caused by issues with your body's biomechanics these are problems with the way your body moves they can include things like having poor posture having one leg that's shorter than the other having flat feet or a curved spine more people have a limb length discrepancy than you would think these are often structural where one leg measures shorter than the other causing an imbalance they also might be functional for instance all of the roads in Houston are banged for drainage if you walk or run on the side of the road then one leg is going to be lower than the other this creates a limb length difference that can cause back pain the biomechanics of the feet can also cause back pain as well under pronators generally presenting with a high arched foot often experience knee and back pain because the inner portion of the foot rolls outwards during gait this makes it difficult for your feet to absorb shock that shock transmitted up the line to your knees your hips and your back overpronators often suffer from pain because the outer part of the foot rolls inward during gait this forces the metatarsals to roll backwards and upwards putting pressure on the Achilles tendon the instability of someone who overpronates causes everything up the line to work harder to provide stability this includes the knees the hips and the back it's not uncommon to have back pain in all of these situations a good medical grade insole or custom orthotic will be useful to stabilize the feet this will allow the feet to take on a stronger effort and will take pressure off of your back just like my earlier story I see many people suffering from back pain who get well by using a custom orthotic to stabilize their base of support wearing the right shoes is much more than simply a matter of fashion it's also about keeping your body healthy a pair of comfortable shoes that are well fitting can go a long way towards protecting your feet and ankles while running walking dancing hiking playing sports and Performing other physical activities if you're constantly wearing shoes that aren't supportive enough you could be contributing to pain in your lower back your feet and legs depend on each other to work properly when one part of the system isn't functioning correctly the rest of the body suffers as well your feet are designed to absorb impact forces and distribute weight evenly across your entire foot without adequate support however your arches collapse under pressure causing stress on your joints and ligaments this leads to discomfort in your knees your hip and your low back shoes that don't fit properly can also cause problems with your toes and ankles toes tend to roll inward making them susceptible to injuries such as hammer toes and bunions ankles can become weak and unstable when they're forced to bear too much weight choosing the right shoe is critical because many people spend most of their day in them they must be comfortable and provide the necessary support for your feet a properly fitting shoe is not just to provide protection and support for your feet it will also keep your back in good condition and prevent it from hurting so there is a correlation between foot pain and back pain that's not to say they're always related but when the relationship is identified it's usually a straightforward treatment to get the condition under control thanks for taking the time to watch this video please take a moment to like comment and share on social media be sure to hit the Subscribe button so you won't miss another video if you've been suffering with back pain and you think it might be related to your feet be sure to get it checked don't hesitate to contact the office for an appointment that link is in the description thanks so much for watching and have a great day [Music] thank you