Lifestyle Fashion

Why do women’s feet get bigger as they get older?

There are many reasons why women’s feet widen as they age. Some of the reasons include weight gain and an aging population. We’ve probably all noticed that people are generally bigger today than they were years ago. Weight gain puts more pressure on the feet when standing or walking, making the joints and ligaments work harder to retain the structure of the feet. The more pressure your feet have to take, the more they will stretch or extend. As feet age, they lose fat padding and grow longer and longer, resulting in lower arches and problems such as calluses and calluses. Structural changes can affect balance and gait. Over time, your feet will cease to return to their normal shape, and in due course, their size will become wider and longer. As we age, the ligaments and soft tissues begin to weaken and lose elasticity, causing the feet to become wider and flatter.

Good shoes with enough cushioning and support can help with this. As the foot becomes wider, longer, and less padded, the plantar fascia tendon that runs along the sole and forms the arch stretches; this contributes to lowering the arc. A lower arch can lead to the formation of bunions. Women tend to have wider feet due to pronation. Pronation is when the arch area on the inside of the foot rolls in toward the ground. Women tend to have wider hips, making pronation more common in women than in men. The legs are made to turn inward at the knees, which can cause pronation in the feet. If a woman overpronates, she will appear to have flat feet. Pronated feet are wider than non-pronated feet, making them appear larger. Another reason why women complain about having wider feet is during pregnancy.

During this time, the body releases hormones that relax soft tissue structures like ligaments. This hormonal change, along with natural weight gain during pregnancy, is known to increase a woman’s shoe size. Women tend to spend a lot of time walking and standing on hard surfaces, which can lead to foot deformities. Foot deformities, such as hammer toes and bunions, are caused by wearing ill-fitting shoes most of the time. Feet can change in size as we age or gain weight. Health problems such as diabetes, circulation problems, and heart disease can cause ankles and feet to swell, making them appear larger. Sales figures show that the average women’s shoe size has increased by 5 in the last five years. This means that the demand for the larger sizes, such as nine, ten and eleven, is also increasing. This increase has been linked to the obesity epidemic.

Medical experts believe that consuming high-density foods like pizza and processed foods during puberty stimulates growth hormone. This not only increases the size of the waist, but also affects other parts of the body, such as the feet. What causes foot pain? Almost all women have experienced a dull ache or throbbing in their feet at some point in their lives. There are many reasons for this, but most misfitting shoes are to blame. Most people tolerate foot pain as part of their lives. Pain and discomfort in your feet is usually a sign that something is not right, your body is trying to send you a message. If you do something about it then, it will save you unnecessary pain in the future. The foot is designed to adapt to uneven terrain. However, hard and flat are the types of surfaces most people find themselves walking on these days.

Unfortunately, human feet don’t do very well on this type of surface. The Society of Chiropodists and Chiropodists (SCP), the UK’s leading professional body for registered chiropodists and chiropodists, has stated that 37% of British women bought ill-fitting shoes in the summer sales and 80% of the women suffered from foot problems. . The study has found that women are ignoring the consequences of buying and wearing ill-fitting shoes just for the sake of fashion. Many foot problems arise because of this. Of the 80% of women who suffer from foot problems due to bad shoes, 39% have cracked heels, 19% have ingrown toenails, 15% have bunions and 24% have calluses on their feet.

The main five foot problems in the UK are:

27% – Cracked heels

26% – Verucas

26% – Fungal infections

19% – ingrown toenails

16% – Corn

Blisters are also another cause of ill-fitting shoes. Years of wearing ill-fitting shoes can take a toll on your feet. Problems such as bunions, neuromas, and hammertoes can occur. Not forgetting arthritis. Ignoring foot problems can increase the chances of developing osteoarthritis in the feet. Nearly half of people in their 60s and 70s have arthritis in their feet or ankles. Shoes that do not fit properly are also a danger for people with diabetes. Something as simple as the wrong shoe size can put people with diabetes at risk of serious foot problems that could lead to amputation. We all think ‘killer’ high heels are the shoes that would give you the most trouble. They cause problems, but slip-on shoes, like court shoes, are the worst of all, as they don’t provide support, tend to be too narrow at the toe, and cause the foot to slide forward and squash your toes.

common foot problem

  • Blisters: Caused by friction from rubbing against ill-fitting shoes.
  • Bunion: A swelling on the side of the big toe that causes pain and is made worse by wearing ill-fitting shoes.
  • Ingrown Toenails: Tight footwear and socks in ill-fitting shoes worsen this condition.
  • Calluses – Hard, thick skin on areas of the foot where there is a lot of pressure or friction on the skin.

Bunions

Bunions occur when the toes slip out of their normal position. This causes a lump on the side of the foot that can be very painful and swollen. Wearing tight shoes can cause this.

calluses and corns

The way the skin protects itself against repeated pressure and friction is to build up tough layers of skin cells where irritation has occurred. When this buildup occurs on top of or between your toes, it’s called corns. Calluses are hard, thick, yellowish skin on the sole of the foot.

hammer toes

A hammer toe is when one of the smaller fingers begins to resemble a claw, when the outer fingers are bent instead of straight. Wearing ill-fitting shoes, such as unusually high heels or pointy-toe shoes, can cause hammertoes. These types of shoes force the toes into an unnatural shape that causes the muscles in the toes to shorten and form a hammer toe. People with diabetes are more likely to develop hammer toes; extra care is needed to ensure the correct shoes are worn to help prevent this. Wearing shoes that fit correctly and taking care of your feet is a must with today’s hectic lifestyles of women.

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