Everyone wants to have healthy feet as they age, but this won’t happen by accident. Our feet become more prone to injuries and health conditions as we get older, so we need to be more proactive about our foot health and know which conditions to watch for if we hope to continue having healthy feet as we get older. In today’s blog, we spotlight five foot problems to watch for in your aging feet.
Problems That Affect Aging Feet
Here’s a closer look at some of the more common foot and ankle conditions we see in older adults.
1. Bunions – We’ve talked about bunions a lot on this blog, and that’s due in part to how common they are, especially in older women. Bunions tend to develop as a result of ill-fitting shoes that put pressure on the front and sides of our toe box. If you are noticing a bony prominence or painful bump on the side of your big toe joint, you may be dealing with the early stages of a bunion. Early intervention can reduce your risk of needing a corrective procedure.
2. Flat Foot – Flat foot can develop in older adults due to damage or degeneration of the posterior tibial tendon, which is the main tendon that supports the arch of your foot. Damage to this tendon can lead to a flattening of the foot arch, changes to how stress is dispersed on your foot, and increasing discomfort. Addressing the flat foot at an early stage is important before it leads to joint problems.
3. Morton’s Neuroma – A neuroma is a benign growth that leads to the thickening of nerve tissue in the foot. They typically develops between the third and fourth toes, and many people describe the condition as if they are stepping on a pebble. Activity modification and footwear changes can help take pressure off the area and resolve the nerve tissue inflammation.
4. Ankle Arthritis – Your ankle joint is prone to degeneration like any joint in your body, and because we tend to put a lot of stress on our ankles and feet, it’s not common for your ankle joint to show signs of wear and tear. If the protective cartilage in the area that helps to facilitate movement ends up breaking down, you may experience bone on bone contact and a host of uncomfortable symptoms. Physical therapy, exercise, weight loss and activity modifications can help prevent and treat ankle arthritis and its symptoms.
5. Hammer Toes – A final condition that we’ll spotlight is hammer toe, which involves an issue with the soft tissues in the toes that help your toes bend and lay flat. If these tissues are damaged, they can shorten or loose flexibility, causing the toes to bend upwards at the joint. Left untreated, these ligaments will only become more rigid, forcing your toes into a chronically bent state, which can be uncomfortable and even painful. Switching your shoes and doing some PT exercises can help to treat flexible hammer toes, but rigid hammertoes may need surgical intervention.