Did you know that through life our feet can change in size and shape?

Many people think once they leave school that their feet stop growing. We see many clients at Foot Works who have not had their feet measured in 20-50 years as they assume that their feet have stayed the same size throughout their life once they had finished growing. This has resulted in many painful areas appearing on the foot, as well as ulcers sometimes forming on pressure points.

So…how do they change shape?

Do you know that due to gravity our body absorbs 2-3 times its weight due to gravity!

As you know our bodies change massively as we age, and well our feet are not an exception!
Our feet take many steps over the years meaning they are the main receiver of all of these forces causing general wear and tear over time to the area. As they pound the streets, sometimes while squeezed into shoes that are far too small, this, in turn, means the look and performance of these wonderful mechanisms called feet change over time.

Why?

Over time our feet get flatter, meaning they get longer and wider. This is because our ligaments and tendons relax over the years unless we strengthen them daily. Not only this but over time our feet can develop deformities such as hammer toes or bunions which can also have an effect.

How do I know if this is happening to me?

It happens to nearly all of us, to be honest, a lot of people don't even realise and are wearing shoes that are far too small for them. Especially people with a diminished sensation like diabetics with advanced peripheral neuropathy in the feet-this is when sensation is lost in the foot. As they may not feel that their shoes are too small for them, this is where we have run into problems.

We advise looking after your feet and checking them daily to make sure no issues arise. We also advise making sure you get your feet measured at least once a year to make sure you are wearing the right size of footwear.

We always advise to check that your shoes are 1cm bigger than the tip of your longest toe. We also ask patients to check the width and depth of the shoes they are wearing to make sure that there is enough room without the foot really having to squeeze into the shoe causing many areas of pressure on the foot which can then lead onto further problems.