Shoes Causing Back and Spine Pain
Posted by Danny Goldberg on Thu, Jun 16, 2011 @ 11:22 AM
All of us have come home from a long day at work and wanted to do nothing more than take our shoes off. Often, our feet ache and the only relief seems to be to take them off and let your feet breathe. But did you know that your shoes may be contributing to your back pain and spine conditions?
Feet are the foundation in which the body sits on, as any contractor will tell you, if the foundation is flawed then the entire structure will be flawed. The human body is much like ahouse where all floors are only as strong as the floor that supports them.
Walking barefoot on hard surfaces or with shoes without proper padding can be a major factor. With every step the vibrations and force travel throughout your body and most of the force is absorbed by the spine. This constant pressure can cause trauma in the pressure-sensitive structures of your spine like the discs, joints, and ligaments. This is also true especially for those who wear sandals and flip-flops. The padding is severely inadequate and it is quite close to walking barefoot.
Another source of this pain can be caused by womens best friend / worst enemy, the high-heeled shoe. If you ask any women you will invariably get one of two reactions, "I love wearing high heels" or "I hate wearing high heels". Regardless of your preference, wearing heels puts your body in an unnatural position. This is because your feet are in a plantarflexed (a downward fixed position) and this has an affect on the entire stability and frame of your body. The normal S-curve shape of the spine functions as a shock absorber, reducing reduce stress on the vertebrae. Wearing high heels causes lumbar spine flattening and a posterior displacement of the head and thoracic spine. High heel shoes cause you to lean forward and the body's response to that is to decrease the forward curve of your lower back to help keep you in line. Poor alignment may lead to muscle overuse and back and spine pain.
Walking shoes are also a source of these problems. When proper walking shoes are worn the body is in alignment and your health benfits are maximized. However, two conditions exist that can make walking harmful to your joints and spine. 
- Over pronation—one or both feet excessively roll
inward, causing the arch to flatten—also known as “flat-feet”. This will create excess motion in the leg as it internally rotates. The pelvis tilts to compensate for the rotation of the leg, tightening muscles in the lower back, fatiguing and stressing the components of the spine.
- Under pronation—one or both feet fail to pronate and excessively roll outward, impairing the bodies ability to absorb shock. This added force is absorbed through the joint and muscles of the lower back and lower extremities, which over time may cause injury.
Another contributing factor is for those who work on their feet all day or have physically laborious jobs. Proper footwear is a key factor for both productivity and pain prevention. Standing for extended periods of time puts strain on the entire body, when the body is exhausted or weighed down we have a tendency to slouch. Slouching has been distinctly linked to kyphosis and increased pressure on nerves and disks.
If you or someone you know is suffering from back or neck pain, please contact us or call 1-855-NJSPINE. One of our expert doctors will let you know the cause of your problem and the best course of treatment.