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Foot Pain and Menopause

Pain in the foot does have a higher incidence after menopause. This study in a group of women in Spain looked at the foot-related quality of life issues surrounding menopause and found that, yes, there is a poorer quality of life-related to foot pain after menopause. There are a number of physiological changes during the ‘change of life’ that affect foot pain in menopause. These changes include:

  • Changes occur to the properties of the soft tissues. For example tendons become stiffer and this increases the risk for injury to those types of structures.
  • Osteoporosis is much more common after menopause to the changes in the different hormones. This makes the bones ‘softer’ and more likely to have a bone stress injury, a stress fracture or a fracture.
  • there are changes to the hormone control of the small blood vessels and this can predispose to issues with the circulation as the circualtion reacts sluggishly and differently.
  • After menopause, there is almost always in increase in weight. This increase puts more load on the foot and increases the risk for developing a wide range of foot problems.

Menopause on its own does not cause foot pain. It is the physiological changes that happen during menopause that increase the risk for a lot of different types of foot problems. We can help with those foot problems.

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Foot Pain in Pregnancy

Pregnancy comes with significant body changes, some of which can actually take place in the feet. The added bodyweight, the fluid retention and the hormonal changes increase swelling in the foot and lower extremities, increasing the chances of foot pain and the ligament laxity may result in structural changes to the feet.

Pregnancy and Foot Swelling
There are several factors that contribute to foot swelling during pregnancy. The body produces more blood and body fluids when you are pregnant and also retains more water during the pregnancy. The venous system is also compressed as the pregnancy progresses which impairs blood flow back up to the heart. All of this leads to an increase in foot volume, leading to footwear fitting issues during the pregnancy.

Almost all of the extra fluid is lost with the birth of the child, so this problem tends to be temporary. During the pregnancy, elevating the feet and using compression/support stockings may help with the symptoms. Also, consider the Archie Thongs.

Pregnancy and Ligament Laxity
When pregnant, the hormone relaxin increases to relax the pelvis which is quite normal and is needed to facilitate the birth process. However, that hormone also affects all ligaments in the body including the foot. Combine that with the weight gain and you can see how the foot can be affected. This can decrease the arch height, increase foot pronation and increase the length of the foot. This means, a flattening foot deformity may result in other problems such as bunions, posterior tibial tendon dysfunction, as well as knee and back problems.

Foot orthotics may help protect and support the feet during pregnancy. The use of good and supportive footwear of the right size is also important. The Archies Thongs are particularly useful.

Pregnancy and Foot Pain
Several studies have shown that 40-50% of women have foot pain during pregnancy. This can range from feet that feel achy, especially while standing for long periods of time to more painful conditions, such as plantar fasciitis. The cause of these problems are mentioned above: weight gain, swollen feet and the hormone, relaxin.

The treatment of the foot pain during pregnancy will depend on the underlying cause of the pain. Please talk to your podiatrist about that.

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