{"id":211383,"date":"2020-03-26T06:35:27","date_gmt":"2020-03-26T13:35:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heelthatpain.com\/?p=211383"},"modified":"2020-05-14T06:34:36","modified_gmt":"2020-05-14T13:34:36","slug":"feet-hurt-50-years-old","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heelthatpain.com\/feet-hurt-50-years-old\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Did My Feet Start Hurting When I Turned 50?"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.3″ hover_enabled=”0″]The year I turned 50, my family went all out with \u201cOver the Hill\u201d decorations. Black cake, black balloons, and all kinds of \u201chilarious\u201d cards.<\/p>\n

It was all in good fun \u2014 and hey, I didn\u2019t feel old! But about six months later, when I started to notice that my feet hurt more often than not, I started to worry. Was this what happened on the other side of the hill?<\/p>\n

As I finally learned from my podiatrist, I wasn\u2019t alone. Foot pain is extremely common in mature adults. But thankfully, I wasn\u2019t doomed to foot pain for the rest of my days either.<\/p>\n

Walking on Broken Glass<\/h2>\n

I\u2019d always taken a lot of pride in staying active. When I was a younger woman, I ran half marathons. As I got older, I slowed down a little but I still regularly played tennis and hiked in the foothills near my home.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d had sore feet before \u2014 nothing major. But I\u2019d never experienced anything like the \u201cwalking on shards of glass\u201d feeling that made the first steps out of bed in the morning almost unbearable. I stopped playing tennis, stopped hiking, even stopped walking to the mailbox when I could avoid it, because my feet hurt so much.<\/p>\n

In a panic, I made an appointment with a podiatrist.<\/p>\n

Learning I\u2019d Lost the Spring in My Step<\/h2>\n

At the podiatrist\u2019s office, there was good news, and there was bad news. The bad news came first: I had literally lost the \u201cspring\u201d in my step. After listening to my symptoms and doing some imaging to rule out a stress fracture, the doctor explained that I had a condition known as \u201cplantar fasciitis.\u201d<\/p>\n

He explained that the plantar fascia is the \u201cspringy\u201d ligament that runs from the heel to the ball of the foot, and helps absorb impact. Those \u201csprings\u201d can wear out as a result of injury, overuse\u2014 or the normal aging process. My doctor explained that while athletes are the ones who make news headlines when they get plantar fasciitis, the most common risk factor for the condition is age!<\/p>\n

And that wasn\u2019t all:<\/p>\n

And Bunions, Too!<\/h2>\n

It turned out that plantar fasciitis wasn\u2019t my only problem. I also had bunions (which may have been a contributing factor in my plantar fasciitis).<\/p>\n

I\u2019d notice that the bump where my big toes met my foot seemed to be more pronounced than my husband\u2019s \u2014 and I could feel it rub against my shoes while I walked. Sometimes, after a tennis match, I realized they were red and inflamed. But I didn\u2019t know that bunions could subtly change my gait over time and strain my arch as my body tried to minimize the discomfort<\/p>\n

Okay, How Did This Happen to Me?<\/h2>\n

My podiatrist reassured me that aging feet are simply at higher risk for different conditions that cause foot pain \u2014 including plantar fasciitis.<\/p>\n

The doctor reassured me that while the bunions and my active lifestyle might have played a role in my plantar fasciitis diagnosis, age was likely the main contributing factor. I had no idea that the aging process flattens and widens the feet, making it harder for the plantar fascia (that spring in my step) to absorb impact, and wearing down the heel\u2019s natural fatty cushioning.<\/p>\n

Older adults also deal with changes in circulation (which may slow healing when we overuse or injure our feet), and changes in the strength of skin and tissue that make injuries from rubbing or pressure more common (hello, bunions!).<\/p>\n

Finding Answers for Foot Pain<\/h2>\n

My doctor was quick to reassure me that foot pain wasn\u2019t a life sentence. I was also relieved to learn that most people with a diagnosis of plantar fasciitis recover within a few months \u2014 without surgery.<\/p>\n

I left the podiatrist\u2019s office with a prescription for rest, stretching exercises for my plantar fascia, and instructions to ice my feet whenever they felt inflamed or painful. My doctor also recommended orthotic inserts<\/a> that I could slip into almost any pair of shoes I already owned, to help support my injured arch and make walking much less painful.<\/p>\n

I was given strict instructions to stop wearing shoes that rubbed against my feet while I walked, or were too tight in the toes.<\/p>\n

Getting My Spring Back!<\/h2>\n

I\u2019m happy to say that while I might be \u201cover the hill,\u201d I\u2019m back to hiking in the hills without foot pain! It took a few months. And I\u2019m more vigilant about giving my feet a good rest after a long hike than I was before. But it\u2019s safe to say I have the spring back in my step.<\/p>\n

Those orthotic inserts my podiatrist recommended were a lifesaver. In the short term, they took the pressure off my arch and relieved that \u201cwalking on broken glass\u201d sensation. And in the long term, combined with stretching to improve my strength and flexibility, and better-fitting shoes, my arch actually was able to heal and recover.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve also added the following tools into my daily and weekly routine. After learning what it\u2019s like to be knocked off my feet, I\u2019m doing everything I can to keep them healthy:<\/p>\n