If your lower back has been hurting, and you don't remember doing anything to injure it, the source of your pain could be your feet. Foot pain is something that many people try to ignore. After all, everyone's feet hurt now and then. But if foot pain has been with you for quite a while, it could be causing problems in your ankles, knees, hips and even your back.
 

That old song, "The leg bone's connected to the thigh bone...The thigh bone's connected to the hip bone...," tells the story. Our bodies are like a chain, with one link-or bone-connecting at the joint to another link. Think about what would happen if the first link in the chain was out of position. The point at which it meets the next link would eventually overstress that link and adversely affect the entire chain.

That's what happens when we have foot pain. If the normal way of walking is painful, we instinctively change our walking pattern. Say you have arthritis, and your big toe joint hurts, so you change your gait to avoid bending the joint when you walk. Changing your gait alters the mechanics of your ankle joint, eventually causing ankle pain. This change in your walking pattern can also affect your entire lower body, from the ankle to the knee to the hip to the lower back.

When foot pain causes you to change the way you walk, it changes the way the bones of all those other joints move together. The result? Cartilage in the joints can wear down, ligaments and tendons can be stressed beyond their normal range, and arthritis can set in.

If your feet or ankles aren't working properly, don't ignore them. Contact a foot and ankle specialist for an evaluation. The problem may be as simple as wearing the wrong work shoes or shoes that have worn out.

Red Wing Shoes of Red Wing, Minn. is a Union company that has been manufacturing quality American-made work boots and shoes since 1905. For more information, you can check out their line of sturdy premium leather footwear HERE.