DT Next Health: How footwear impacts spinal alignment and joint health

CHENNAI: Low back pain is one of the most common symptoms for which a person seeks a spine specialist's opinion. Prolonged sitting, sedentary lifestyle and bad postures are common causes of back pain which most of the time gets better with exercises and lifestyle modifications. One of the unnoticed causes of low back pain is improper footwear. Yes, if you have back pain which is not responding to any conservative measures probably the reason may be your footwear. But what is the connection?

The weight from the upper half of our body is transmitted to our lower back through our spine, similarly while walking or running the load is transmitted from the ground to the lower back through our feet, knees and hips.

Nature has given certain curvatures in our feet which helps to transmit this load in an appropriate direction and angle causing less stress to the lower back. When our footwear is designed to accommodate such natural foot curvatures weight transmission occurs properly without causing strain on the lower back. But when fashion dominates comfort problems occur.

The inner side of our feet has a natural arch which is important to prevent abnormal inward or outward rolling.

Studies show that a heel height of more than 7.5cm is known to cause back pain if worn for more than 3.5 hours. On the other hand, shoes without heels or less than 1 inch can also affect the weight transmission to the spine. Hence it is better to go for heel size between 1 to 2 inches.

While choosing footwear the purpose has to be clear -whether it is required for daily use, occasional wear or running. Generally, shoes with less heel height, good medial arch support, adequate cushion in the midsole and rounded toe box are good for your spine and other joints.

Dr Vijayaraghavan G, Senior Consultant, Department of Spine Surgery, MGM Healthcare