You wake up in the morning, and as you touch the ground, it hurts to put weight on your feet. What you do next can make a big difference in how you feel and function, weeks and months later. Why do your feet ache There is no shortage of specialists who will look at your feet, offer a diagnosis such as plantar fasciitis, and even offer a treatment, a splint, a medication, or some suggest therapy. Understanding why your feet hurt can be as simple as your doctor looking at your shoes, how they are sized, and asking questions about your previous history of problems in your back or whether your knees crack when you squat. An old ankle sprain should be considered as well, since this or an old fracture may be affecting how you walk. Four common reasons for foot pain include Shoe Size Impact: Can everyone hear you walking around the house, or is your impact on a treadmill louder than most people? Core and chronic back problems that develop over time, making the legs tight and causing leg, foot, or knee pain. Flat or high arches in the feet. After thousands of steps, runs, and activities, impact will cause the fascia in the legs to tighten, affecting your back and even upper back function. Failure to consider everything above the feet while treating the point of impact may relieve symptoms temporarily, but other symptoms in the lower and upper back often are associated with it because of the fascial system. Patients have visited our office with back and leg complaints affecting their feet and causing their toes to ache. Many find relief from their toe and back pain after improving their shoe fit and adding a foot orthotic to improve how they walk. Half of our back pain patients are wearing shoes that are too small. Chiropractic sports physicians look at the whole person while trying to assess why you hurt. Sometimes, solving the easy problems, such as shoe size, will make a huge difference in how a person feels and functions. Are your shoes properly sized? If not, check out the article and video below. The improperly sized shoe epidemic as a common source of knee and back pain. Foot problems often begin from the ground up. So do back problems, sciatic pain, shoulder problems, neck problems, and even arm and shoulder issues. Poor function causes tightness in the legs, hips, and upper body and increases impact on the ground. The most common diagnosis, plantar fasciitis, is often due to upper body compensations. Think differently, see a sports chiropractor first. Here’s why. Unlike the traditional medical specialist model, the chiropractor thinks and evaluates holistically, meaning they look at everything. Chiropractic sport physicians are thorough. If the problem is medical, they will refer you to the appropriate specialist. The good news, most people get relief and often resolve multiple painful problems by seeing a chiropractor first. Chiropractic is holistic in its approach. One doctor is simpler, and by identifying the cause of your foot pain, other symptoms in the back, shoulders, and neck often improve as well. In our chiropractic practice, the first thing we check is your feet and evaluate from the feet up. Our history is thorough and looks at function, movement, as well as the standard orthopedic tests most people expect. People do not just develop stress fractures in their feet; they develop them from impact. Runners do not all get black toes, but they will if their running shoes are too small. Back pain often follows foot pain. You do not need more specialists; you need a good generalist. Chiropractic sports physicians are generalists for the musculoskeletal system. Solve the impact problem and solve the foot problem. You may visit a sports chiropractor for your back, or for your leg pain, or for your shoulder pain. Patients are often surprised at how thorough their chiropractic physician was. Your chiropractic sports physician is a one-stop shop for all things musculoskeletal. You will be shown exercises to help you correct the problems. They will make sure your shoes fit, and your foot orthotics help as they should. Chiropractic sports physicians look at patients, rather than just the symptoms their patients present with. A great chiropractor is like Sherlock Holmes for the body. The evaluation offers clues, the chiropractic sports physician looks at the clues, and solves the mechanism behind why your feet and body ache. Improve your body mechanics, reduce impact, and resolve foot pain. It sounds too easy, but actually, it often is. Follow the treatment plan, do the exercises that were given to you during your treatments, and feel better naturally without the need for drugs, invasive injections, or unnecessary tests. Keep it simple by visiting a sports chiropractor first. Your feet and the rest of your body will thank you. Need help with foot pain today? Book online or call one of our offices today for an evaluation to find out how to get relief now.