Did you know that the shoes you wear have a big impact on your health? From short-term effects such as nail problems, all the way to some serious skin infections, improper footwear can be quite a nightmare. So to help you be aware of these potential issues, here are some of the most common problems caused by ill-fitted shoes.
Short-Term Effects
These problems are relatively common yet you may not be aware of them.
1. Nail Problems
Believe it or not, you can develop several nail and fungal problems by wearing ill-fitting shoes. For instance, if there’s pressure coming from the sides of your toes, there is a high chance that this pressure will push your skin into your nail plate. As a result, you can develop ingrown toenails. Not only that, but you can also get a toenail infection.
The biggest problem with fungal toenail infections is that they tend to be quite unsightly. Your toenails will be extremely brittle and discolored. In most cases, these infections develop due to minor instances of trauma to the toes that cause your toenails to lift high enough for organisms to enter the nail bed and grow. As a result, they turn into a fungal infection.
2. Athlete’s Foot
A very common condition, usually referred to as ‘athlete’s foot,’ is mainly caused by a dermatophyte — a fungal species living on the surface of the skin. The main cause of this condition is tight footwear which makes your toes be in close proximity to each other. Some of the consequences you could be dealing with are inflammation, flaking of the skin, and intense itching. For these reasons, it’s very important that you invest in high-quality footwear. If the infection does occur, make sure you purchase an antifungal cream.
3. Corns
If you notice hard dead skin on the side of your feet or toes, you are most likely experiencing corns. In most cases, they are caused by prolonged pressure against a specific area of your feet. For example, if your shoes are too loose, they will create friction and rub your feet as they slide around. Corns are quite painful since they contain nerve fibers and blood vessels. They also tend to attach themselves to deeper soft tissues, making them even harder to remove.
4. Pain/Discomfort
Apart from the above-listed issues, you can also experience different kinds of discomfort and pain from wearing the wrong footwear. When purchasing the right shoes for yourself, you should always aim to place comfort and support above style to avoid these issues.
Long-Term Effects of Wrong Footwear
Even though these may not be as common, long-term effects should not be ignored.
1. Collapsed Arches
Shoes that don’t offer proper support can cause one of the worst long-term problems: fallen or collapsed arches. If the back of your leg and the Achilles tendon are tight when walking, you can end up straining the ligaments, the tendon of the muscle, and the plantar fascia. The support is especially important for athletes since improper footwear can cause serious conditions such as plantar fasciitis which requires special shockwave therapy treatment to get rid of it.
2. Back Pain/Posture Problems
Other long-term effects include posture problems and back pain. This happens because your shoes have a significant effect on the alignment of your whole body as well as your posture. If you wear improper shoes for a long time, this can negatively affect your lumbar spinal muscle action. As a result, you can experience stiffness and worsening of your posture. Apart from that, you can develop lumbar intervertebral disc compression, which causes lower back pain. To relieve this issue, you can try yoga for beginners.
3. Joint Pain
The wrong kind of footwear can also lead to joint pain in your knees. Once again, due to improper support of your shoes, your knees might need to bend more to help reduce the shock your feet experience while you’re walking. This means that the muscles on the front of your thighs will have to work harder. In the long run, this can cause severe knee pain and even arthritis.
Wearing ill-fitted shoes that provide insufficient support and comfort can cause both short-term and long-term health issues. Though most of them can be treated, it is always best to prevent than to treat these issues later on.
Featured image via Pixabay on Pexels
