Be Nice to Your Feet

We can be pretty hard on them, so let's show our feet some love

- Sydney Loney

Walking.

Hiking.

Jogging.

Biking.

Unaided, we can't do any of these things without our feet. So why, when our quality of life is directly related to being active, do many of us ignore these two vital parts of our body? Spanish scientists expressed concern over a rise in foot issues in their 2021 study of how poor foot health affects everything from physical activity to the overall health of able-bodied people (participants ranged from age 15 to 69).

"Foot problems can reduce quality of life, lead to loss of balance, make it difficult to put on shoes and increase the risk of falling" the authors wrote in the journal Scientific Reports. "All of this can affect activities of daily living, including the desire to go outside."

Meanwhile, a 2017 study, also in Spain, of able-bodied university students found that poor foot health not only prevented them from being physically active but also increased their risk of becoming socially isolated as a result.

The Bunion Blues, and Other Woes

If foot pain limits your activity and lasts more than a week, says Paul Langer, a Minnesota-based sports-medicine podiatrist, it's time to see a podiatrist or an orthopaedist. Adds Hartley Miltchin, a Toronto podiatrist who has dubbed himself "the Bunion King" if feet-the body's foundation-aren't performing properly, they throw everything else off. "They're like the base of the Tower of Pisa. When they're off, the tower leans."

Bunions are one of the most common foot problems preventing people from being active. Almost a third of us have one. It's the bony bump that can form when the big toe becomes misaligned; that causes the tip of the toe to move inward and the joint at the base to stick out sideways. Bunions don't go away on their own.