Osteoporosis and Feet

 

Experiencing certain symptoms of the feet can lead your physician to diagnosing several different diseases. An unexplained foot fracture could be a sign of osteoporosis, a bone thinning disease. Osteoporosis often is not diagnosed until a person experiences a bone fracture since the disease is likely to progress without symptoms. Your feet are susceptible to fractures because once the bones are in a weakened state, normal weight-bearing activities such as walking can cause foot bones to break.

If you do have osteoporosis, you should always be mindful of protecting your feet from stress fractures. Shoes or orthotics that provide extra shock absorption can provide extra support for your feet.

If you experience increased pain while walking, redness of the foot or swelling of the foot, it is best to seek the opinion of a physician to diagnose the underlying problem. Be sure to get your feet checked out at the first sign of pain for the best chance of a quick recovery.

 

Image by Eric Schmuttenmaer. Foot Right X-Ray 001. (2006). Flickr.