As a Podiatrist we see many patients who have experienced hip or knee pain. Let’s look at how Podiatry can help with this!
Firstly, Podiatrists treat the lower limb as a whole. While we make modifications to the foot and ankle, we also consider the entire leg. Secondly, many people don’t realise that their feet may actually be contributing to their problem.
There are plenty of conditions that can result from inefficient foot biomechanics. These include iliotibial band friction syndrome and patellofemoral pain syndrome.
Think about it, your foot comes into contact with the ground first, and the force then travels up the leg to the knee and hip. If you can increase the efficiency of your feet, your knees and hips will take less load (and they’ll thank you for it!).
What are some signs your feet may be contributing to your hip or knee pain?
- Tibial internal rotation (your shin bone rotates inwards while you walk or run)
- Foot pronation (your feet roll inwards while you walk or run)
- Foot supination (you load more through the outside of your feet while you walk or run)
What can we do to help?
We need to increase the efficiency of your gait. Here are some things we can do:
Exercises
Exercises are the long term driver of change, helping to strengthen your body and improve your biomechanics. We can assess areas of weakness or underactive muscles and help get them firing effectively.
It’s important to note that you may also need to improve your glute and thigh strength alongside foot and ankle exercises, depending on the areas of weakness identified.
Gait Retraining
Gait retraining aims to improve your walking or running technique over time, helping you become more efficient. Many people we see with hip and knee pain have a heavy heel strike when they run. We can modify how you walk and run to reduce the load placed on your hips and knees.
Orthotics
If you want to stay active during your rehabilitation process, orthotics can be a great way to help control your foot biomechanics while you work on improving your gait.
By wearing orthotics in your day to day shoes, your feet can feel fresher and less fatigued before training sessions. This can help improve the efficiency of your gait without you even having to think about it.
Footwear
Everyone’s gait is slightly different. Your Podiatrist can conduct a biomechanical assessment and provide advice on the most appropriate footwear for you.
As a general guide:
If you’re a heavy heel striker, consider a shoe with a lower heel to toe drop.
If you tend to pronate heavily, look for a shoe with built in support.
So, if you have hip or knee pain, consider whether your feet may be playing a role. If you’re not sure, chat with our Podiatry team and we’ll help point you in the right direction.
