During pregnancy, it is not uncommon to experience an array of aches and pains all over your body. Among these complications are tired, swollen, achy feet – a very common and painful symptom experienced by mothers-to-be during their 9 months of pregnancy.
Managing your foot pain during pregnancy is imperative to ensure you can enjoy your pregnancy and reduce the risk of any further complications. Please see below for some additional information on pregnancy and your feet.
Gestational diabetes and how it affects your feet
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy due to high blood sugar levels. If untreated, gestational diabetes can have lasting effects on your feet, including numbness of your feet, poor wound healing, along with nail and skin changes.
What you can do about it: If you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes or are having any foot related issues while pregnant, we recommend you to see a chiropodist as soon as possible to reduce any complications. Our LMC chiropodists can test your circulation and nerves in your feet to ensure they are healthy. They can also recommend specific treatments, products and exercises to reduce your foot pain throughout your pregnancy.
Your feet change when you are pregnant
During pregnancy the size and shape of your feet change. This can be attributed to both weight gain and an increase in elasticity of your tendons and ligaments throughout your body, especially in the feet and ankles. Throughout pregnancy, it is very common for women to develop over-pronation of the foot, A.K.A: ‘flat feet’. This condition causes the feet to increase in both length and width. Some woman’s feet can even increase an entire shoe size during pregnancy!
What you can do about it: Over-pronation (flat feet) can be treated with modalities such as custom-made orthotics for arch support, and specific exercises to strengthen your tendons in your feet to support your arch. Our LMC chiropodists can assess your feet to determine how much support you need in a custom-made orthotic, and will determine which exercises are best for you and your changing feet.
Your feet can look different during pregnancy
One of the things you may notice during pregnancy is that you see the veins popping out in your feet and legs, otherwise known as varicose veins. Pressure on the blood vessels in your abdomen can restrict blood flow that can back-up in these regions. It is common for varicose veins to become painful during pregnancy.
What you can do about it: It may help to elevate your feet, however medical grade compression stockings are key to reduce swelling in the feet/legs due to fluid build up and to also to return blood back to your heart. Our LMC chiropodists can prescribe these medical grade compression stockings based off of your specific measurements and compression strength needs. We offer a wide range of fabrics, colours and lengths for you to choose from.
Pregnancy can cause changes in how you walk
While pregnant, weight gain can contribute to changes in the way you walk. Throughout your pregnancy, your center of gravity changes which impacts the way you stand and walk. In turn, this can cause foot, knee, hip and back problems.
What you can do about it: It is necessary during pregnancy to wear more supportive shoes. It may also be necessary to wear orthotics both during and after pregnancy to help prevent your arch from collapsing, and give to you better overall support. Having more supportive shoes and orthotics will also help limit changes in gait, increase stability, and decrease your risk of falls, which can be harmful to both you and your baby. Our LMC chiropodists specialize in gait analysis, custom-made orthotics, and supportive footwear. They can make recommendations based off your specific gait pattern and foot type, to reduce your foot pain during your pregnancy and beyond.
Your feet are important to your overall health. If you take care of your feet, your body will thank you.
Chiropody in-clinic appointments are available at the following LMC locations:
Barrie, Bayview, Brampton, Etobicoke, Oakville, Ottawa, Scarborough & Vaughan
If you would like to book an in-clinic appointment with one of our chiropodists, please click the button below.
