Pregnancy and Foot Pain
Boutiques everywhere are catering to maternity clothes, enticing women to focus on fashion even during pregnancy. But where do you draw the line between fashion and safety? What about comfort? Is it possible to have the best of both worlds? Laurie Sullivan, a certified pedorthist and owner of four Foot Solutions franchise stores, shares her secret of how she lived a pain-free pregnancy without sacrificing fashion or comfort (hint… it was all through her feet!)
My name is Laurie Sullivan. I am 42. My son is 18 months old, so I was pregnant 18 1/2 months ago! When I was pregnant I initially switched to flats. But, I did much more than that. I put custom arch supports in my shoes and then switched to Chung Shi shoes (rocker soled shoes that take pressure off the knees, hips and back and improve circulation to the feet so I didn’t end up with swollen feet or ankles). The Chung Shis were a God-send. I didn’t have the lower back pain, the aching knees or swollen feet and ankles. My OB was amazed. They helped me keep up a walking regimen throughout my pregnancy.
As for the custom arch supports, they prevented me from getting plantar fasciitis, a common heel pain syndrome pregnant women often suffer. But, they did much more than that. “There is a really interesting phenomenon that occurs in pregnant women and only pregnant women.” When we are pregnant, our bodies produce the hormone Relaxin that literally relaxes everything in our bodies, allowing our hips to spread in preparation for delivering the baby. Relaxin affects all of the body, not just the hips. This hormone, combined with the sudden increase in body weight, is the reason women’s feet get bigger in pregnancy. But, the hormone Relaxin also presents a window of opportunity.
The arch of the foot falls over time, so the foot shape you had when you were 17 and the foot shape you have at 30 are different. When the feet become highly flexible (due to the Relaxin), you can capture the natural arch shape the woman had when she was much younger and put a custom arch support under the foot to hold the youthful arch shape. After pregnancy, the hormone leaves the body. The foot tightens up and remains in this better position. You can literally turn back the clock on the aging process of the feet and restore better foot shape and function. The beauty of this is that you can also keep the foot from stretching longer and wider so the woman won’t need an entirely new shoe wardrobe after pregnancy. So, while so many women bemoan the fate of their feet during pregnancy, I am hoping to spread the word that not only can your feet feel good during pregnancy, you can take the pressure of the joints, the back and restore your feet to better position than they were BEFORE you got pregnant!
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