Posture communicates plenty–but what posture communicates about your health is one of the most important things you should be aware of. Because it turns out that when your mom told you to sit up straight, she was on the right track. However, science tell us that when it comes to posture, she should have been just as worried about your feet!

Why? Keep reading!

Posture Basics, Head to Toe

Poor posture–hunching, sunken shoulders, and a slumped back–can have a dramatic effect on your muscles and ligaments. It can lead to injuries of the knees, heels, feet, back, and even difficulty with breathing and digestion. Bad posture is typically caused by–and exacerbated by–an imbalance in your muscles in strength and tension, and the muscles in your feet play a critical role. For example, tight calf muscles paired with weak plantar fascia can wreak havoc on your gait and foot posture (the alignment of the foot itself). This poor posture is a vicious cycle, causing the body (which naturally leans slightly forward) to tilt further forward or backward, adding additional strain to your feet and heels, and making plantar fasciitis–and posture–worse.

Postural Benefits of Wearing Orthotics

Wearing orthotics can have a tremendous positive impact on good posture, since the way the feet absorb and distribute impact has a big effect on the rest of the body. While orthotics are often seen as just a solution for heel pain, they can also be used as simple at-home solution to improve posture in the following ways:

Correct Gait Abnormalities

Your feet are your foundation every time you run, walk, jump, or stand. The impact from these simple daily activities, combined with the weight of the human body can place a great deal of strain on the heel and arch of the foot. Over time, as the body tries to compensate for this strain and pain, gait abnormalities can develop that result in poor posture.

Improve Balance

Since orthotics help lift the arch to an optimal height and cushion the heel, the feet (and therefore the ankles, legs, hips, etc.) are more balanced, helping you avoid stumbles and falls that can injure or throw any number of the body’s muscle groups, bones, or tissues out of alignment and creating poor posture.

Reduce Pronation

Pronation is where your foot turns too far inward as you step forward, causing the arch to flatten excessively. Pronation is associated with increased incidences of plantar fasciitis, heel pain, gait abnormalities–and poor posture. Orthotics can help correct overpronation while you walk.

Distribute Weight and Impact More Effectively

Because orthotics cushion and support the arch, you’re able to more effectively distribute and bear the weight of walking, running, and jumping. And when your arch is able to do its job in absorbing impact effectively, you’ll feel less aches and strain to your hips, back, and legs.

What to Look for in Orthotics to Improve Posture

There are a lot of different orthotics to choose from on the market. If you’re looking to improve your posture, you’ll want to keep an eye out for the following qualities:

Lightweight: Heavy orthotic shoes can negate some of the positive postural effects of using orthotics in the first place, and don’t allow for much flexibility in rotating between different pairs of shoes. Look for lightweight orthotic inserts that can be added to any pair of shoes.

Cost effective: There’s not much evidence that expensive prescription orthotics are any more effective than inexpensive orthotic inserts (some of which are more than 90% effectivein treating heel pain and plantar fasciitis!) Balance quality with cost!

Cushioning and Supportive: The perfect blend of support and cushioning can be surprisingly hard to find. If you can crush your orthotic insert in your hand, it’s not likely to stand up very well to the rigors of walking, running, or jumping. Make sure your chosen orthotic is sturdy enough to stand up to some pressure while still providing cushioning for your heel and arch.

Fascia Bar Technology: This patented technology brings the arch to the optimal height for support and comfort during physical activity. This innovative technology helps the arch tremendously with weight distribution and impact absorption.

Other Ways to Improve Posture

Another great way to improve your posture from the feet up is by using simple stretches to make sure that your muscles and tendons are limber and not too tight. Taking a few minutes every day to stretch your calves, fascia, and other muscles and tendons in the feet and legs can make a world of difference. When your muscles are limber and stretched, you’ll avoid a situation where one group of muscles is pulling another forward or backward subtly, throwing off your stride–literally.

Proper stretching and properly supporting the feet and heels help ensure that your weight falls on the balls of your feet first as you walk–instead of your heel. With a heel-first gait (caused and exacerbated by bad posture), your feet absorb greater impact and aren’t able to propel the body forward as effectively–meaning you’re having to work extra hard to walk the same distance and putting additional strain on your fascia and heels.

Improving Foot Posture

As you work to improve your overall posture, make sure you don’t neglect the posture of your feet themselves. Improving overall posture is hard to do when your feet–which support the weight of your entire body–aren’t in the correct position!

Properly aligned feet should face forward, rather than one or both feet turning inward or outward. As you properly support your feet and stretch your calves, heels, and fascia, you should find that your feet align more properly and that physical activity becomes more comfortable as well. An additional method that can be taken to improve foot alignment if you’d like to see faster results is wearing a night splint that supports your feet and heels, and keeps the fascia limber even while you’re sleeping.

By correcting your posture from the feet up, not only will you look better–and communicate more confidence to the people around you–but you’ll feel better and avoid future injuries with a body in balance.

Special plantar fasciitis orthotics work by realigning, cushioning, and supporting a damaged plantar fascia, relieving pain and allowing inflamed and strained tissue to heal.

But can the benefits of orthotics extend to active individuals–like runners–who don’t have a compromised plantar fascia?

Orthotics are Not Just for Runners with Plantar Fasciitis!

The ideal running pattern can be elusive. Most of us underpronate or overpronate slightly, meaning that when our heels strike the ground, the foot either turns too much or not enough.

And even for runners who enjoy that perfect running pattern, the amount of force your feet absorb during this high-impact activity is pretty incredible. Saucony Shoes estimates that for someone who weighs 150 pounds, the foot experiences forces four to seven times that weight: the equivalent of up to 1,000 pounds.

Orthotics can be tremendously helpful to runners with or without plantar fasciitis, and with or without the perfect running pattern by helping the foot and lower body stay in alignment, helping the plantar fascia absorb impact, and cushioning the foot while running on hard surfaces.

High-End Running Shoes vs. Orthotics

While there’s no doubt that the shoes you wear are very important to the health of your feet, you don’t need to break the bank to get a good fit and proper support.

Many mid-range and budget running shoes offer excellent fit, comfort, heel and ankle support, and proper support–which can lead to the assumption that with ever-improving technology and quality in running shoes, orthotics don’t have much to add to the equation. However, most of the cushioning and support you’ll find in your running shoes is designed for proper fit and comfort–not arch support.

For this reason, specialized orthotic running shoes are a popular choice. But these orthotic shoes are often heavier than ideal for running, not to mention quite expensive, easily running into the hundreds.

What’s a runner to do? Orthotic inserts are a lightweight alternative that empowers almost any pair of running shoes with proper support, stability, and impact absorption.

Benefits of Running with Orthotics

The benefits to running with orthotic inserts–even if you’re not currently experiencing heel pain or foot pain–are substantial:

• Improve excessive pronation and gait abnormalities: If you pronate while you run, meaning your feet collapse inward, the consequences on your knees can be dire. Pronation also increases your chances of developing plantar fasciitis and stress fractures. Orthotics can correct this gait imbalance.
• Alignment: Orthotics have the ability to stabilize and improve alignment throughout the body, not just in your feet. When your feet are properly aligned as they strike the ground, it helps the rest of your lower body including legs, hips, and back, work in proper alignment.
• Posture: If you’re a runner, your gait and alignment don’t just have an impact while you run. Your posture–which can positively or negatively impact aches and strain to the rest of your body–is directly tied to a healthy gait and alignment.
• Preventative care: Orthotics help stave off a whole host of problems by supporting your plantar fascia and other muscles and ligaments in the feet. These conditions include plantar fasciitis, shin splints, blisters, hammer toe, and tendonitis.

What Kind of Orthotic Inserts Are Best for Runners?

Orthotic inserts come in a wide variety. It can be challenging to determine which one is going to give you the best support, cushioning, and bang for your buck. Here’s a few pointers to keep in mind:

Test collapsibility: You should be able to put pressure on the insert’s arch without collapsing it. If the insert collapses with pressure from your fingers, it’s not supportive enough to withstand the impact from running.

Choose an insert with Fascia Bar technology: Fascia Bar support is a must-have in an orthotic insert for runners. This patented technology lifts the arch to the optimal level with the highest caliber support.

Many runners have the best results from full length inserts: Some runners find that half-length inserts slip and slide inside of their shoes. If this is the case, a full length insert is the best bet for functionality and comfort.

Try over-the-counter orthotics before prescription orthotics: Custom orthotics are both extremely expensive (up to $450), take time to create (usually about a month) and not necessarily more effective than quality over-the-counter options. Over-the-counter orthotics with Fascia Bar technology are both inexpensive (the cost of a few cups of coffee) and have a 90% satisfaction rate.

Whether your goal is to head off plantar fasciitis and other heel and foot problems, improve your gait or posture, or help your body stay in proper alignment with each mile, orthotics are a terrific way to reduce the amount of impact and strain your body undergoes during a run or jog.

Runners of all speeds, abilities, and ages choose to wear orthotics each time they pound the pavement to protect some of their most important assets: their feet and heels.

Hammer toe, also known as “rotated toe,” is a condition that causes the middle joints of the toes to curl downward instead of straight forward. More than 200,000 cases of hammer toe are treated annually in the United States, and while most are successfully resolved with at-home conservative treatment methods, severe cases of hammer toe can require surgery.

What are the symptoms and causes of hammer toe, and what are the top home treatment methods for successfully restoring your toes to a healthy position? Read on!

Symptoms of Hammer Toe

The hallmark of a hammer toe is a toe that is bent downward at the middle joint (the “knuckle: of your toe.) The toe adjacent to your big toe is most commonly affected by this condition.

The first symptom you’re likely to notice is one or more toes that seem to have trouble lining up straight with the rest of your toes while your foot is flat and relaxed. As the condition progresses, you may notice corns or calluses, caused by additional friction and rubbing from the unnatural position, and difficulty or discomfort while walking. You’ll also likely notice that it becomes increasingly difficult to move or wiggle your toes. Some people confuse hammer toe with bunions, since both involve toes that bend at unnatural angles, and the two conditions can occur simultaneously. However, a bunion causes the swelling at the base of the big toe, which makes the toes point inward toward the second toe, rather than downward.

If your hammer toe symptoms are new and mild, it’s highly likely that you’ll be able to successfully treat your hammer toe at home. If your symptoms are severe, it’s important to see a doctor.

Causes of Hammer Toe

Overwhelmingly, the most common cause of hammer toe is ill-fitting footwear. High heels are a particularly notorious culprit of hammer toe, since they cause a great deal of pressure on the toes as they are pressed downward into the tight front of the shoe. Wearing shoes that are too tight, exaggerate the arch of the foot, or place pressure on the toes or ball of the foot can all lead to hammer toe.

Other causes of hammer toe include foot injuries, very high foot arches, tight or misaligned tendons and ligaments throughout the foot, or having a family history of hammer toe. If you develop a bunion, a condition that causes your toes to bend inward (rather than downward), you should be especially vigilant to signs of hammer toe. With the toes bent at an unnatural angle from the bunion, they are more susceptible to hammer toe.

Home Remedies for Treating and Preventing Hammer Toe

If your hammer toe is being caused by ill-fitting footwear, the most important step you can take in treating it is to immediately stop wearing the footwear. Trade the problem shoes for footwear that has plenty of room in the toe box, supports your heel and insole, and does not force the toes downward into the toe box.

If you believe that high arches or a weak and strained arch from wearing unsupportive footwear may be the cause of your hammertoe, wearing orthotic inserts to support your arch properly can help relieve pressure and strain on your toes.

Gently stretching and separating your toes with toe separators can be a simple and effective way to realign the foot and toes, gently stretch the muscles and tendons, improve circulation for healing, and bring the toes back to a correct, uncurled position.

With rest, properly fitting footwear, toe separators, and orthotics, most cases of hammer toe can be resolved simply and easily at home. However, if you find that you are unable to move the curled toes at all, or are experiencing great discomfort while walking, it’s important to see a doctor to put you back on the track to recovery!

Trigger finger, also known as “stenosing tenosynovitis” is a condition that causes your finger to become “stuck” in a bent position. When forced to straighten, the appendage snaps into the new position rather than transitioning smoothly (like the trigger on a pistol).

Trigger finger is common in individuals whose jobs or recreational activities include a lot of gripping and repetitive fingerwork, and is caused by inflammation and swelling of the sheath that protects the tendons in your fingers.

Many disorders of the fingers are found in the toes, and vice versa. So, is there such a thing as trigger toe?

Can You Get Trigger Finger in Your Toes?

Short answer, yes!

That said, trigger toe is a relatively uncommon foot condition that typically affects only a small subset of people: mainly dancers who perform en pointe. Dancing en pointe puts pressure on the big toe, which can irritate and inflame the sheath protecting the tendon in the big toe.

What Causes Trigger Toe?

The tendon that ends in the big toe, the flexor hallucis longus, moves in and out through the calf and down the foot as you flex and move your feet and legs. Typically, this motion is smooth and seamless. However, through overuse and excessive strain (such as by placing the weight of the body on the toes constantly during dance), the sheath that houses this tendon can become tender, inflamed, and swollen.

When the tendon sheath swells, it becomes more difficult for the tendon to slide through smoothly, resulting in lockups and jerky transitions–or trigger-toe. Left untreated, trigger toe can cause damage and scarring to the FHL tendon.

Symptoms of Trigger Toe

While the symptoms of trigger toe are typically mild in the beginning, it’s important not to ignore them. Left untreated, trigger toe can cause permanent and irreversible damage. In the case of a professional dancer, this can mean the end of a career.

The first symptoms of trigger toe include mid discomfort in the big toe and brief lockups that easily release. However, as the condition worsens, it may become very difficult to dance en pointe, because of the sharp pain in the toe. Lockups will become worse as well, requiring a dancer to manually bend or straighten the toe that has become locked.

You may also notice stiffness in the big toe, especially in the morning, tenderness in the toe and foot, or a “clicking” sound as the toe locks in and out of different positions. Trigger toe can affect one or both big toes.

Treating and Preventing Trigger Toe

While the general population will likely never experience trigger toe, dancers and some athletes should stay vigilant to symptoms that could signify the condition and consult a doctor as soon as symptoms present themselves.

Allowing your feet proper rest during and between dance sessions, properly warming up the toes, feet, ankles, and calves with stretches before and after a workout, and icing can help keep your toes and feet healthy. NSAIDs can also be used to reduce swelling and inflammation. In very severe cases, your doctor may perform a surgery to release the FHL tendon.

While trigger toe is relatively uncommon, it’s very important to treat symptoms quickly if they arise–particularly if you are a dancer or athlete. Taking action to address the underlying problem and rest your toes properly will help avoid long-term damage and early retirement from a hobby or career you love.

Imagine, for a moment, walking with one foot inside an inflexible boot.

That classic, step-slap sound resulting from the inflexible boot hitting the ground with each step, is also the hallmark of foot drop, a gait abnormality that is the result of muscle weakness, nerve damage, or partial muscle paralysis to either one or both feet.

Individuals with foot drop are no longer able to properly flex one or both foot, resulting in a “slap” to the ground with each step, rather than a smooth, rolling step from heel to toe.

Foot drop can also cause what’s known as “steppage gait,” in which the affected foot is lifted much higher than normal while walking. Due to the foot’s inability to flex and lift like normal, the toes often drag while the affected leg swings forward. To compensate, this leg must be lifted higher than normal to avoid tripping over the dragging toes.

What are the causes of foot drop, how is it diagnosed, is it permanent, how can it be treated, and should surgery be considered?

Causes of Foot Drop

The causes of foot drop vary significantly, and the prognosis for recovery depends a great deal on the cause itself. Foot drop can result from weakness in the muscles of the legs and thighs, to much more serious conditions like multiple sclerosis. Foot drop can be caused by any of the following:

• Herniated disks in the back that compress and damage nerves leading down to the feet
• Injuries to the pelvis and the hips
• Dislocation of the knees (it’s important to check for nerve damage and artery damage if you ever dislocate your knee!)
• Inadequate blood supply (also known as ischemia). This can take place during a stroke
• Injuries to the sciatic nerve
• Partial paralysis of muscles in the legs
• Muscle weakness or damage
• More serious degenerative conditions like multiple sclerosis, ALS, and cerebral palsy
• Spinal cord injuries
• Exposure to toxins that have damaged the nerves

Diagnosing Foot Drop

Foot drop can often be diagnosed simply by hearing the cadence of your gait on a hard surface. The “slap gait” is distinctive, as one foot or both hit the ground with a slap. In a typical gait, the heel strikes the ground first, followed by the rest of the foot in a controlled and smooth motion. In cases of drop foot, the ability to control the foot’s smooth descent to the ground is absent–the reason for the characteristic slap. Evidence of “steppage gait,” where the affected foot is raised higher than normal to avoid dragging or tripping on the toes, is also a hallmark.

Foot drop can also be diagnosed through examination of dorsiflexion, or the amount of control over your ability to lift and flex downward and upward. The inability to flex the foot with a proper range of motion means that the foot cannot facilitate a normal gait.

Is Foot Drop Permanent?

Foot drop can either be temporary or permanent, depending on how much damage has been sustained, how long it has been happening, and the cause of the muscle or nerve damage to begin with. If you notice foot drop, it’s critical to address the problem and determine the cause as soon as possible.

Treatments for Foot Drop

The main factor in deciding how to treat foot drop is the cause. Some treatments, depending on the cause of foot drop, may include physical therapy, treating a herniated disc, anti-inflammatory drugs to deal with swelling and inflammation at the source of the damaged muscles or nerve, as well as a specialized exercise program to strengthen and repair damage.

Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) may be recommended by your doctor, depending on the cause and extent of the damage to nerves. This treatment stimulates and helps restore function to damaged nerves is minimally invasive.

While you and your doctor are treating the cause of foot drop with a medical professional, foot orthoses, or orthotics, can be very helpful in stabilizing the foot and ankle, which help keep the foot from dropping or dragging during walking and activity. Orthotic shoes can add additional weight to the foot, exacerbating the symptoms of foot drop, so lightweight slip-in orthotics should be used.

Should I Consider Surgery for Foot Drop?

Surgery should typically be a last resort, and foot drop is no exception. Surgery to remedy foot drop yields mixed results, and all are accompanied by long recoveries and invasive, painful procedures. However, some people have seen improvement after surgery for foot drop after exhausting other options for treatment.

The best way to approach foot drop is to treat the symptoms (by using slip-in orthotics and any other treatments your doctor recommends), and working with your doctor to uncover and treat the root cause. Knowledge is power, and learning as much as you can about this condition while finding the treatment that works best for you is key!

Pregnancy can be uncomfortable for a lot of reasons. You’re dealing with morning sickness, weight gain, stretch marks, swollen ankles, and intense cravings (read: Big Mac, hold the pickles, add maraschino cherries.)

And the cherry on top (the one you didn’t request)? Heel pain from plantar fasciitis often develops during pregnancy too.

The good news is, this particular source of discomfort and pain doesn’t have to haunt your entire pregnancy or postpartum days. In this post, we’ll take a look at the reasons you might be experiencing heel pain during or after pregnancy, how to differentiate plantar fasciitis from normal aches and pains, and ways you can reduce or eliminate the pain of plantar fasciitis during pregnancy.

The Connection Between Pregnancy and Heel Pain

As you gain healthy and necessary weight during your pregnancy, the additional strain on the arches of your feet can cause them to flatten. This, in turn, causes your feet to “pronate” or roll inward as you walk, placing a great deal of strain on your plantar fascia ligament.

Pregnancy is strongly linked to the development of plantar fasciitis because weight gain is, necessarily, often more dramatic during this process. The new, rapid increase in strain on your arches causes small rips and tears to appear in the plantar fascia, leading to inflammation, pain, and, if left untreated, “heel spurs” (small, sharp calcium deposits that result from damage to the plantar fascia and dig into the fatty pad of your heel).

Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis in Pregnancy and Postpartum

It’s normal to experience tired feet now and then–after all, you’re carrying a growing passenger! Normal soreness will usually go away within a day or two. It’s also normal to experience some swelling, especially as your pregnancy nears its conclusion.

It’s important to pay attention to pain that doesn’t subside after a day or so, is worse in the mornings, and is primarily focused on the bottom of your heel. The pain from plantar fasciitis (as opposed to normal aches and pains) will improve somewhat with activity as your ligaments loosen up.

What Can I Do if I’m Pregnant and My Feet Hurt?

Most women anticipate aches and pains throughout pregnancy, but if your feet are aching–especially if your feet hurt but aren’t particularly swollen–it’s important to pay attention to the pain and recognize that plantar fasciitis may be developing.

If you’re postpartum and still experiencing heel pain, plantar fasciitis is a likely culprit as well. If left untreated, heel spurs will continue to be a source of pain and discomfort long after the baby weight is gone.

So, what can you do about plantar fasciitis during pregnancy or postpartum? (As with any form of treatment during pregnancy, be sure to consult your doctor for his or her recommendation and continued medical input!)

• Rest your feet as much as possible. Don’t be afraid to put your feet up and relax, especially during the day. You’ll also want to avoid standing still for long periods of time particularly–since standing is actually harder on your arches than walking!
• Invest in a foot massage. Massage is a great way to reduce pain in the short term, but also can contribute to long-term healing. Ask your partner to rub your feet, try self-massage with a Foot Massage Ball, or splurge on a prenatal massage, preferrably with a massage doula or other pregnancy specialist.
• Avoid high heels at all costs. High heels and plantar fasciitis are strongly linked even without adding pregnancy to the equation. Opt for a pair of cute sneakers or supportive flats that give your toes plenty of room, support your heel and arch, and help you stay balanced. Many women’s feet swell during pregnancy, so don’t be afraid to size up in shoes if needed.
• Give your feet some much-needed support. Orthotic shoe inserts designed specifically for Plantar Fasciitis can be easily slipped into your everyday shoes–and provide badly needed support and relief for your arches. Orthotics that treat plantar fasciitis are shown to have a 90% success rate in drastically reducing or eliminating heel pain.
• Ice your feet regularly. Icing is a terrific way to reduce inflammation and pain from plantar fasciitis. Ask your doctor first to ensure that icing is an appropriate treatment during your pregnancy, then choose one of many inexpensive icing options made just for plantar fasciitis.
• Do simple stretches daily. Stretching is simple, effective–and can be done from the comfort of your own home! Share these free heel stretching videos with your obstetrician to learn which ones are right for you during your pregnancy!

You have a lot on your mind during pregnancy without adding heel pain to the mix. Nip plantar fasciitis in the bud by treating symptoms promptly, and get back to picking out the perfect baby name or whipping that nursery into shape!