Foot problems during perimenopause and menopause
Feet issues are surprisingly common. I was really quite surprised when I started looking into this. I have looked at other foot issues before, including burning feet, hot feet, and smelly feet. But there's another condition that seems to be becoming more prevalent - I've been asked about it quite a lot recently - and that's something called plantar fasciitis or foot arch pain.
What is plantar fasciitis?
The fascia is a band of tissue that stretches from the toes to the heel. It's very flexible because it allows us to flex our toes. But what can happen during perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause is that this fascia tissue can become less flexible. It can seize up. And that ends up then pulling between the toes and the heel. It can cause a lot of pain and it can cause inflammation as well. And that in turn will then affect the way you walk, because every time you flex your feet when you step, you're going to pull on this.
It's going to cause a lot of pain and it's going to affect, possibly, your posture as well. And even standing can be really, really painful.
What causes foot arch pain?
Although it may not be the direct cause of plantar fasciitis, we do know that falling oestrogen levels can affect muscles. It can affect the ligaments. It can affect the tendons, as well as the joints. So, if these are all being affected by falling hormone levels, that then is going to tighten your calf muscles, which is going to cause problems with the feet as well. If your calf muscles are really tight, that's going to affect the way that you walk too. So, plantar fasciitis can be connected to other issues that are being caused by falling oestrogen.
Poor footwear can do it, especially if you wear very flat shoes that have very thin soles. That can be an issue.
It could also be if you're standing a lot. If you have a job where you have to do a lot of standing and you're not moving about a lot.
It could be due to flat feet. If the arch in the foot starts to collapse, that tends to be an age issue. We know that plantar fasciitis can very often develop between 40 and 60, and that's when our posture can change as well, which can cause flat feet.
It can be doing a lot of sports. That’s another potential issue, especially if you're doing a lot of running, a lot of jogging, where the foot is being flexed maybe for hours at a time. That can end up causing inflammation.
It could be due to being overweight, due to the fact that there's going to be a lot more pressure put on this area of the feet. And as I've mentioned before, postural changes can be a cause, so even issues with your shoulder can have a knock-on effect right the way down the spine and into the feet.
It could be nutritional deficiencies, and they do think there may be a link if you're very low in calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and, of course, B vitamins.
What can help ease or prevent foot arch pain?
So, what can you do here to help with this particular problem? I have read that it's one that sometimes comes and goes on its own. But with any kind of inflammation, it's always better to treat it at the time, just to make sure that there's no sort of deterioration happening as time goes on.
So, you can look at things like ice packs - a little bag of ice cubes or one of these little blocks that you put in with food to keep it cold, and just keep your foot on that, which can very often help to reduce pain and inflammation.
You can do really specific exercises that actually help to flex the feet, so you can pull your toes up and keep that stretch going. The best thing to do is go on to YouTube and look at foot-flexing exercises.
Avoid standing still for long periods of time. If you have to do that because of your job, then maybe move your weight from foot to foot and keep flexing your feet.
Watch your footwear. It's another really important one. Something like an arch support or memory foam insoles in your shoes can provide your feet with a little more comfort.
The other thing you can look at is herbal remedies. The herb Devil's Claw is known as a natural anti-inflammatory and often works really quickly at helping to reduce inflammation and pain. And you can also apply Arnica as a gel to the affected area. If you keep the gel in the fridge, then it's going to be nice and cool when you apply it.
So, I hope you found this one helpful. I've been told that it's a really painful, annoying condition, so hopefully, these tips will help you. If you have experienced it, what did you do to help yourself? How did you overcome it? Remember to share your stories. You know I love reading them, and your little tip or bit of information may be helpful for someone else.
Until next time, take care and have a lovely week.
