It has been estimated that every pound of body weight causes three pounds of force that your feet have to absorb when you're walking, and seven pounds when running. That means a 200 pound person's feet would be subject to 600 pounds of force with every step, and 1,400 pounds of force when running.
“As little as one pound above your ideal weight can increase pressure in your hips, knees and ankles by as much as eight pounds,” he explained. In normal walking, you transmit three to six times your body weight through your foot, Dr. Webb says.
Extra weight creates extra pressure and strain on your feet, and can make standing and walking uncomfortable or painful. Being obese also stretches out and wears down the connective tissue and natural fat pads in your feet. Obesity-related symptoms in the feet include: Ball-of-foot pain.
The ground pressure of motorized vehicles is often compared with the ground pressure of a human foot, which can be 60 – 80 kPa while walking or as much as 13 MPa for a person in spike heels.
Your feet are amazing! You have 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, more than 100 muscles, and a superhighway of vessels and nerves! The average 130-pound human being places as much as 1.5 million pounds of weight on their feet each day!!
This means that the rearfoot is loaded more than the forefoot (66.67%:33.3%). The greatest weight is placed on the right rearfoot (34.34%). There is a proven correlation between body weight, plantar pressure, and foot pain [18, 19].
Weight Loss and Foot Pain Relief
We know that obesity is linked to greater stress on the feet. Studies indicate that even a modest weight loss can significantly reduce the pressure and strain on the lower extremities. Striving to have a healthy weight can alleviate foot pain and prevent further damage and symptoms.
When the man is standing, his feet are in complete contact with the ground. Due to this, the contact area is more with the ground and it results in less pressure. On the other hand, when a man is walking, at any instant his feet will not be in complete contact with the ground.
Ten feet of water would exert a pressure of 10 X . 433 4.33 pounds per square inch.
Foot Problems Linked to Weight Gain
That's often because extra pounds can flatten your arches, putting more pressure on your feet and changing the way you walk. Gaining weight could also increase your risk for bunions and hammertoes. When it comes to bunions, extra weight can make your feet pronate (roll inward).
Low-impact exercises can keep you active and help with weight loss while reducing stress to your feet. Try swimming, water aerobics, yoga, spin cycling, and rowing machines are excellent calorie burners but let your feet take it easy.
Sometimes weight loss can shrink feet enough to change a person's shoe size—good to know when planning out your style budget. In one 12-month study published in 2017, volunteers who lost 50 to 100 pounds (through sleeve gastrectomy) saw their shoe sizes decrease by one full number on average.
The big toe carries the most weight of all the toes, bearing about 40 percent of the load. The big toe is also the last part of the foot to push off the ground before taking the next step. A nine-toed gait is less efficient, slower and shorter, but no less effective.
Older, obese adults may lose so much muscle, they may have trouble walking — or even standing up. The researchers at USC say this is because older people who are overweight can develop insulin resistance, a condition that runs the risk of blocking their muscles' ability to effectively absorb glucose.
Study shows severity of ankle fractures increases as body mass index increases. Obesity nearly doubles the odds of a patient having the most severe category of ankle fracture, according to research published in a recent issue of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons' Journal of Foot & Ankle Surgery (JFAS).
The height of the blood column in a human body is more at feet than at the brain. Therefore, the blood pressure in humans is greater at the feet than the brain.
Walking lowers systolic blood pressure by 4.11 mm Hg (95% CI, 3.01 to 5.22 mm Hg). It lowers diastolic blood pressure by 1.79 mm Hg (95% CI, 1.07 to 2.51 mm Hg) and resting heart rate by 2.76 beats per minute (bpm; 95% CI, 0.95 to 4.57 bpm).
Ten minutes of brisk or moderate walking three times a day
Exercise lowers blood pressure by reducing blood vessel stiffness so blood can flow more easily. The effects of exercise are most noticeable during and immediately after a workout. Lowered blood pressure can be most significant right after you work out.
A ligament is a strong flexible tissue that holds bones together. When the foot lands awkwardly, some ligaments can stretch and tear. This is called a sprain.
The hallmark of an overuse foot or ankle injury is an aching pain that comes on gradually. You may start to notice discomfort in the area of the injury during certain activities. Eventually, it will become more persistent. Achilles tendonitis, for example, may be agitated only during runs or long walks initially.
Extra pounds put an additional strain on the tendons, bones, and ligaments of your ankle. Ankle joints are flexible and weight-bearing joints that tend to show early discomfort than any other joint upon weight gain. Obesity can interfere with the normal functioning of your ankle, leading to ankle pain.
—Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Sometimes, RICE and an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen are all you need to get back on your feet. For dull aches and soreness, heat therapy can increase blood flow and relax muscles. A heating pad is easy to pack and can be a welcome relief at the end of a long day on vacation.