How Lower Back Pain Can Stem from Foot Pain

Ever feel like you've tried everything for your lower back pain, only for it to come back? It can be a frustrating cycle of temporary relief. You try stretching and resting, yet the discomfort often returns, never truly resolving. Consider your feet as the foundation of your body. When this foundation is unstable, it can trigger a domino effect throughout your entire structure, causing strain elsewhere.

We'll explore this link, helping you understand if your foot health could be a contributing factor in your recurring back issues, and how addressing biomechanics may help.

Back pain is complex and usually multifactorial. Foot mechanics may be one contributing factor among others such as posture, muscle strength, daily activities, and lifestyle. In some cases, your GP or orthopaedic doctor may recommend imaging such as an MRI before starting a treatment plan to rule out other causes.

Common Foot Conditions That May Lead to Lower Back Pain

Your body is a connected chain. Foot alignment or altered biomechanics can affect how you absorb impact, sending stress up through your ankles, knees, hips, and into your lower back.

Conditions like flat feet (overpronation), a high arch (supination), and even issues requiring plantar fasciitis therapy can all disrupt this balance and contribute to your pain.

Overpronation (Low Arches)

If you have flat feet, your arches may collapse and your foot rolls inward with each step. This overpronation is more than just a foot issue; it contributes to a chain reaction up your kinetic chain. 

The inward rolling causes your lower leg and thigh to rotate internally, which in some individuals may contribute to changes in pelvic position. This can increase stress on the lumbar spine and surrounding muscles, which may contribute to lower back discomfort

This constant strain fatigues the stabilising muscles around your hips and spine, a common contributing factor of chronic lower back pain.

Supination (High Arches)

Conversely, a high arch can mean your foot is too rigid and doesn't flex enough to properly absorb shock—a motion known as supination. Your foot essentially loses its natural cushioning ability. 

Instead of dissipating the force of each footstep, the impact can travel up your leg, through your hips, and into your spine. This repetitive jarring can increase loading on the joints and soft tissues of the lower back, which may contribute to persistent discomfort.

Plantar Fasciitis

The sharp, stabbing foot pain from plantar fasciitis can make you instinctively change how you walk just to find relief. 

You might limp, shorten your stride, or shift your weight onto the ball of your foot. This altered gait pattern seems helpful in the moment, but it can throw your biomechanics out of sync. Over time, this may place extra strain on your hips and lower back, potentially contributing to fatigue, tightness, and discomfort.

Leg-Length Discrepancy

You may not even notice it, but even a small difference in leg length can disrupt your body's symmetry. 

A difference in leg length—whether it's a true difference in bone length or a functional one from pelvic misalignment—creates an unstable foundation. Your pelvis can tilt down on the shorter side, and to keep you balanced, your lower back is forced into a compensatory curve. 

This constant side-bending places uneven stress on your spinal joints and forces the muscles on one side to remain tense, which may contribute to one-sided lower back pain in some individuals.

Telltale Signs Your Lower Back Pain is Foot-Related

If you're wondering whether your feet could be the culprit behind your lower back pain, here are a few telltale signs to look for:

• Uneven Wear on Your Shoes: Check the soles of your shoes. If one side is significantly more worn down, it points to an imbalance in your foot alignment or gait.
• Pain After Standing or Walking: If your backache consistently worsens after being on your feet for long periods, it suggests your foot structures are failing to support your body correctly.
• Chronic Morning Stiffness: Waking up with persistent stiffness in your hips or lower back can have many causes. In some cases, foot-related biomechanics may contribute to this tension.
• One-Sided Back Pain: Pain that is localised to just one side of your lower back often points to an asymmetry, such as a leg-length discrepancy, that starts at your feet.
• Concurrent Foot and Back Pain: Experiencing foot pain—like arch pain or heel soreness—at the same time as back pain is a strong indicator that the two issues are connected through your body's kinetic chain.

Simple Fixes for Lower Back Pain and When to Seek Professional Help

If you're looking for how to get rid of lower back pain at home, a few simple habits can provide some relief and support better foot health:

• Gentle Stretching: Regularly stretching your calves, glutes and hamstrings can help. Tightness in these muscles can pull on your pelvis and disrupt your posture, contributing to back strain.
• Supportive Footwear: Wear shoes with good cushioning and solid arch support, especially if you spend a lot of time on your feet. This helps reduce the daily impact on your body.
• Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to what activities trigger your pain. Pushing through discomfort can often worsen an underlying biomechanical issue.

While these tips can help manage symptoms, they may not correct a root biomechanical problem. That's where targeted podiatry services and solutions like custom orthotics insoles come in.

Find a Lasting Solution with UFIT Podiatry

Our podiatry services focus on identifying potential contributing factors to your pain. Through gait analysis and biomechanical assessments, we can evaluate how your feet and lower limb mechanics may be affecting your back and overall function. Where appropriate, we use this information to design 3D-printed custom insoles, tailored to support your unique foot alignment and improve efficiency in movement.

By optimising your alignment from the feet up, our goal is to help reduce unnecessary strain on your lower back and support more sustainable relief. If you’re ready to explore whether your foot health is playing a role in your back pain, book a consultation with our podiatry team today.