Lower Back Pain

When you experience lower back pain, you may not immediately think about visiting a podiatrist. Interestingly, the body is incredibly interconnected. The back and feet are connected through the kinetic chain, which describes how forces and movements transfer through the body. When your feet are functioning less than ideal (whether from poor arch support, overpronation, supination, or other biomechanical issues), these imbalances can alter how you stand, walk, and distribute weight. This can cause your legs and pelvis to compensate, which can misalign the spine or place excess strain on the lower back muscles. 

When this process happens daily, with time it can disrupt the body’s natural alignment, increasing tension and leading to pain or discomfort in the lower back. This is where addressing your foot mechanics together with your podiatrists may help ease your lower back symptoms.

What Causes Low Back Pain?

Generally speaking, we often see low back pain arising from tension, stiffness, or discomfort in the muscles, joints, or nerves of the lower back. This pain is typically felt during standing, walking, or moving the lower body. While some back pain resolves on its own within a few weeks, it can persist if caused or aggravated by underlying biomechanical issues.

One significant factor in back pain is incorrect pelvic alignment during walking or standing, which in many cases can be traced back to poor foot mechanics, at least as part of the problem. If your feet aren’t supporting your body correctly, the effects ripple through your legs, pelvis, and spine, creating tension and discomfort in your lower back. Did you know:

Your Feet May Be Contributing to Your Back Pain

When we move, our feet initiate a chain reaction that travels through the body, including the lower back. If your feet are not functioning as they should, they can cause changes in your posture and gait, placing extra strain on your back.

Back Problems Can Affect Your Feet Too

Pain in your feet can sometimes be a sign of issues in your lower back. Nerve compression in the spine, such as from sciatica or a herniated disc, can lead to tingling, numbness, or pain radiating down your legs and into your feet.

Common Back Pain Conditions We Encounter

Here are a few conditions that can cause or contribute to back pain, some of which may be improved through good foot and lower limb care (and often the use of custom foot orthotics or other devices):  

• Pelvic misalignment, as leg length differences and foot mechanics can tilt your pelvis, creating strain in your lower back.
  
• Sciatica, depending on where the compression is occurring and the reason behind it. This is because adjustments in foot posture and biomechanics may help relieve pressure on the compressed nerve, easing your symptoms.
  
• Piriformis syndrome, is a condition in which tightness in the piriformis muscle can impinge on the sciatic nerve, leading to back and leg pain.
  

How We Can Help

While we don’t treat back pain directly, our podiatrists find that improving your foot function and lower limb biomechanics can (partially or fully) reduce the associated strain on your back, promote better alignment, and help ease symptoms. Our services include:

• Biomechanical assessments, in which we identify issues in the way you move that may be contributing to your pain
  
• Custom foot orthotics and other bracing options provide tailored support to improve posture and reduce strain on your lower back.
  
• Footwear recommendations (including custom footwear) to help check that your shoes support healthy movement and alignment.
  
• Manual therapy, including foot mobilisation to help with stiff and dysfunctional joints
  

We also work closely with other health professionals, including physios, chiropractors, or GPs, to support your recovery. Back pain is a very large topic, with many different causes and risk factors, and we’ll always do our part to help with any back pain symptoms related to your feet, such as flat feet, asymmetry between your feet, leg length discrepancies and more. 

Common Causes Of Lower Back Pain

Are You Experiencing Pain Elsewhere?

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