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Lower back pain is a sensation of pain or ache in the back. Back pain may arise during sports, walking, standing, or even rest. Back pain is widespread and can affect anyone at any age. Lower back pain affects about 80% of the population at some time in life. The connection between abnormal biomechanical foot function and lower back pain is well established.
Podiatrists treat back pain that is caused by abnormalities in foot posture. Excessive foot pronation results in the internal rotation of the lower limb. Since the hip bone is attached to the pelvis by an angled "ball-in-socket" joint, internal hip rotation leads to a forward tilt to the pelvis. This increases pressure on the lumbar vertebrae (causing joint inflammation) and shifts the body's centre of gravity forward. As a result, abnormal muscle tightness (muscle spasm) produces pain in the lower back. Over a period of time, patients can also develop poor posture.
There are lots of other causes of back pain, many of which are traumatic or postural. A chiropractor or physiotherapist is the best person to treat your injury for these types of problems.
Interestingly enough, insufficient pronation (which decreases shock-absorption during gait) can also cause or aggravate low back pain. Poor shock absorption directly affects lower back pain, this is because it transmits ground contact force directly to the vertebrae and intervertebral discs (the "hydraulic" cushions between the vertebrae). When shock loads are excessive, tissue damage can result.
Foot posture is often overlooked as a cause of back pain. Many clients with back pain are referred to Footfix following an assessment with our local established network of chiropractors and physiotherapists. If you suspect that you have a back problem that is caused by the posture of your foot during standing, walking or running, you should arrange a podiatry appointment as soon as possible to allow you to continue with your normal everyday life without pain.
If you have lower back pain, you should not ignore the problem as you could be causing further damage to your back.
If your foot posture is causing your back pain, it is unlikely to get better without treatment.
If your back pain began suddenly and is severe enough to prevent you from pursuing normal activities, you'll probably be referred to one of the chiropractors we work with regularly. Their priority will be to reduce the muscle spasm and local joint inflammation in the painful area. A variety of manipulation or physical therapy techniques are typically used to help relieve your pain.
If you've either had acute pain and it's feeling better now or a chronic "niggling” lower back pain, the next step is to identify any biomechanical abnormalities present. Recall that any functional problem that leads to excessive pronation (foot rolling in, so the arch "collapses") or insufficient pronation can cause or aggravate low back pain.
The range of motion of the forefoot, midfoot, rearfoot, ankles, knees and hips are measured. Limb lengths are measured to check for significant length differences. Muscular weakness or tightness of various muscle groups will be noted as well. This one-hour examination includes digital video gait analysis on a treadmill. You will be given stretching and/or strengthening exercises to do regularly at home. If you are suffering from back pain, you can book an appointment with us to analyse your gait and ensure there are no problems.
Following your biomechanical assessment, a plaster of paris cast impression of your feet (held in their neutral functional position) will be taken. This is then sent to a laboratory that specialises in fabricating custom-made orthotic devices. We'll contact you for an appointment to fit your new orthotics in approximately three weeks. An improvement in foot posture helps to reduce stress on the lower back.
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