Your feet hold you up all day and literally carry you through life, which is why it’s so important to maintain good foot health. Your feet are also highly connected to your entire body. As the foundation for your entire body, your feet determine how the rest of your body functions. When your feet constantly step on hard surfaces (by standing or walking), you transfer your entire body weight to that surface. This can be jarring at times, but mostly you are unaware of this due to the natural shock absorbers in your body itself (muscles, tendons, etc.). Nerve receptors in the feet send and receive signals to and from the brain, as your brain and body work together to keep you standing upright. These signals can be disturbed, however, by poor posture, pain, or physical abnormalities, resulting in a circle of poor posture and bodily pain. If you have flat feet, for example, it can throw off your posture and cause stress and damage to your muscles and joints, leading to inflammation and pain over time. 

If you are experiencing back pain, there is a good chance that it is tied to your feet. Back pain is inevitable if you’re standing at work most of the time, but especially if your feet are misaligned. In fact, many people will miss work due to problems caused by their feet. Recreational activities also put a lot of stress on our feet and bodies—runners will attest to this! If you want to prevent foot problems that are caused by being on your feet, wearing the right shoes is an important first step. A proper shoe will provide support to your foot so that your muscles can actually do less work.