Why Talk About Pregnancy and Foot Pain?

As a foot doctor it is not surprising that I see a lot of people that have foot pain. Not only do I see them in my office, but I also see them at church, the grocery store, local races, and other places out in the community. As soon as they find out I’m a foot doctor people always start asking me about their foot pain.

It is unbelievable to me how often I talk to women to talk about having foot pain either during pregnancy or after. They also talk about the fact that it seems at her feet start to change shape. They oftentimes wonder if this is actually happening or if they imagined it.

I can tell you that it is not something that you are imagining. We know that there are a number of hormones that are secreted during pregnancy that are intended to relax the ligaments that hold your pelvic bones together and allow for the birth of a child. Unfortunately , the hormone that is primarily responsible (called relaxin) affects a number of other structures as well.

The ligaments and tendons in the foot that support the arch and maintain normal foot structure can become stretched out under the influence of this hormone called relaxin. It is not only the hormone but also the fact that there is a very rapid weight gain associated with the growth of a fetus during pregnancy. The combination of that increase in weight gain with the relaxed tendons and ligaments can cause your foot to change shape.

Oftentimes this results in foot pain or other problems. Flat feet and bunions are a couple of the problems that develop very consistently around the time of pregnancy. For many women who are ready have flat feet or bunions, they can just become much worse following pregnancy.

For women who have any of these problems, it is important to have orthotics in order to prevent these problems for becoming worse. Orthotics or custom molded inserts ago, when your shoes and can help to support the architecture of the foot. Instead of expecting the relaxing ligaments and tendons to try to prevent a change in shape or collapse of the foot.

Custom orthotics can also provide a tremendous amount of support by realigning the bones in the foot and help relieve the kind of generalized aches and pains in the feet and ankles associated with pregnancy.

Another problem that we often see with pregnancy is swelling in the feet, ankles and legs. Swelling in the legs is often caused because the growing fetus places pressure of the large blood vessels in the abdomen. Essentially this causes an increase in blood pressure and causes fluid to back up in the legs, feet and ankles. This is easily treatable with some compressive stockings that can help the valves in the veins resist the backup of fluid and stop the swelling. Simply elevating the legs can also help quite a bit.

Pregnancy is a wonderful time in a woman’s life. You are actively creating an entire new life. It should be a time where you can reflect on all of the positive changes about to come about in your life and not be distracted by foot pain.

Whether during pregnancy or postpartum, foot pain is easily treatable, and problems are preventable. Make sure that you see an expert who frequently treats pregnant patients. This way you’ll make sure that you get the very best care.

Seek treatment early and he’ll make sure that you can get back to setting up that nursery and planning for the new life, and the new member of your family who is about to join you.


Dr. Christopher Segler is an award winning foot and ankle surgeon with a podiatry practice in Chattanooga. He is the inventor of a patented surgical instrument designed to simplify bunion surgery and flatfoot surgery. He publishes articles teaching other surgeons about his techniques and how to decrease pain after foot surgery. You can order a FREE copy of his informative book about common causes of foot pain at http://www.anklecenter.com.