Women’s Foot Care
While most foot and ankle conditions can and do strike men and women alike, several conditions tend to affect women much more frequently.
Sometimes the reasons are cultural and environmental—like a greater propensity to wear unsupportive footwear like high heels and flip flops. Other times, the deeper causes may be related to the way women’s feet tend to be structured, or even due to the physical changes brought about by pregnancy.
Whatever may be causing your foot or ankle problem, we want to help you solve it! Family Foot Care & Surgery provides compassionate, comprehensive treatments and preventative care for women of all ages and activity levels.
Common Foot Problems Experienced by Women
Again, while none of these problems are exclusive to women, women still constitute the vast majority of patients who experience them. They include:
- Bunions. About 90% of bunion sufferers are female. Wearing tight or pointed footwear seems to play a role, along with the fact that women tend to have weaker connective tissues supporting the big toe joint. Genetics are also a factor, as bunions tend to run in families.
- Hammertoes. These are common in women for largely the same reason that bunions are, and we see a similar gender spread—about 90-10 in favor of female patients.
- Ball of foot pain. Shoes that pinch your toes or shift all of your weight onto the front portion of your feet can easily lead to pain in the balls of your feet. There are many different conditions that can cause this symptom, including swollen nerve tissue (neuromas), irritation of the sesamoid bones, or stress fractures.
- Skin and nail conditions. Women are especially susceptible to certain skin and nail conditions that can result from friction and pressure on areas of the feet, such as blisters, corns, calluses, and ingrown toenails.
- Flat feet. Although a lifetime of wear and tear can flatten arches for anyone, women who have been pregnant are at higher risk. During pregnancy, your body releases hormones that loosen and relax joints, which can contribute to permanent flattening in the arches.
Factors that Contribute to Foot Problems in Women
We’ve already covered many of these above, but we’ll list them out here as well.
- Foot structure and strength. Women tend to have weaker joints, weaker connective tissues, and even thinner feet and heels than men. This leads to a greater incidence of many painful conditions and, especially, bony deformities.
- Bone density. Because women have less bone mass, they may be more susceptible to many sports injuries such as stress fractures.
- Footwear choices. Women are, for better or worse, more likely to wear shoes and shoe styles based on fashion instead of comfort and fit. High heels, shoes that are too tight, shoes with narrow toe boxes, and shoes with poor arch support (such as ballet flats and flip flops) are all common culprits.
- Pregnancy. The weight gain and joint weakening associated with pregnancy can contribute to foot problems both in the near and short term.
Prompt, Attentive Care for Women’s Feet
We know you don’t have time to be hobbled by foot and ankle problems! You need solutions that will allow you to keep up your busy, active lifestyle for the long term.
We pride ourselves on providing personalized care options that are in tune with the specific, individual needs of each patient. We want to know not just your symptoms and diagnosis, but also your personal goals and preferred lifestyle. Then, we can provide treatments and prevention strategies that can help you reach those goals as effectively as possible.
It might be as simple as reducing the time you spend in heels and other impractical shoes, and filling your wardrobe with more comfortable choices. Other times, we may recommend advanced therapies like custom orthotics, shockwave therapy, or physical therapy.
Regardless, the best way to ensure your treatment is as simple and effective as possible is to see us as soon as possible once you realize you have a problem. In many cases—particularly bony deformities like bunions or hammertoes—this can help you maintain an active lifestyle without having to resort to surgery.
To schedule an appointment with Family Foot Care & Surgery in Milford or Hamden, CT, call us today at 203-876-7736. You can also request an appointment online using our contact form.