According to MSN there are three kinds of shoes which back pain sufferers should avoid altogether.
High heels are often associated with back pain, and for good reason.
It’s no surprise that high heels are a major cause of back pain—but they’re often considered solely a woman’s problem. But according to Long Island Spine Specialists, men who like cowboy boots, which can have a one to two-inch heel, aren’t immune from shoe-related backaches. You don’t have to wear sky-high heels to suffer ill effects from heeled shoes.Wearing heels, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) says, can force your center of gravity forward, which will cause you to involuntarily arch your back when you stand. Wearing them also makes your spine sway unnaturally from side to side as you shift your weight while walking, per Women’s Health. The muscles in your feet connect to your calf muscles and your hamstrings, which connect into your pelvis and back. To wit, if your heel is unhappy, your back will be, too.
“High heels put the foot at an angle and pull muscles and joints out of alignment, so the effects aren’t limited to the feet,” Sajid A. Surve, DO, an associate professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, told the AOA. “It’s not unusual for people who spend lots of time in high heels to have low back, neck, and shoulder pain because the shoes disrupt the natural form of the body.”
Unfortunately flats are not always the answer either. While you may instinctively reach for a pair of flats when your back is bothering you, experts say that these shoes can cause problems as well. Flats that don’t offer enough arch support can put extra strain on your feet, which leaves you vulnerable to back pain.
According to the experts at Long Island Spine Specialists, “This impact pressure builds over time, and your hips and lower back take the brunt of it. The lack of padding and arch support will also cause the ligaments and tendons in your feet to overstretch. This all cumulates to produce more problems for your back and can lead to overall body pain.
Also flip flops can cause ankle injuries or worse. According to Prevention magazine, flip flops require that you scrunch your toes up to keep them on, often forcing you to overcompensate in your hips and back. Flip flops can also tire you out: Because you’re scrunching your toes as you’re walking, you’ll naturally have a shorter step. Plus, flip flops don’t offer any support for your arches, so you’re slamming your foot down with each step.
The best shoes to wear if you are suffering from back pain are Orthopedic shoes which can help pain relief. For back pain, these are the following options: Rocker soles (including Joya or Skechers), sports shoes (such as running shoes or tennis shoes with cushioned soles), sandals with toe room and support like Birkenstocks and more.
Everyday Health wrote that according to Pauline Fu, DPM, a doctor of podiatric medicine and an assistant clinical professor of orthopedics at Mount Sinai hospital in NYC, shoes with a slight heel are best. The fact that your heels are slightly elevated allows your ankle to turn a little bit and rotate differently.
A heel that’s the same height as or lower than the toe of the shoe, on the other hand, affects the way your leg — and, in turn, your pelvis — turns. That, then, will affect your spine and lower back and cause back pain, Dr. Fu says.
The website HoodMWR have a list of the Top 15 Best Shoes & Sneaker for Lower Back Pain,Walking, and Running.
Source: Everyday Health, MSN, HoodMWR
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