Pregnancy and your feet: YES, they do change!

Pregnancy causes an array of both obvious and less obvious changes within the body and the feet.

Many women come to us during their pregnancy concerned that their feet have become bigger and this is very common, you aren’t imagining it!

During pregnancy the body has many hormone changes including the increase in the hormone called relaxin - this allows the body to stretch and to move more and this hormone affects the entire body - so naturally the feet which are flexible by design become even more flexible. This might see the arch flattening out more or the feet elongating and widening. A lot of the time the feet remain larger post pregnancy. This can also contribute to pregnancy related pain in the feet - including plantar fasciitis or tendon related pain.

Other changes that might be noticed are;

Fluid retention - swelling in your feet and ankles - this can be a normal part of pregnancy, due to the hormonal changes, the growing baby and uterus and the increased need for fluid in your body for the pregnancy.

However its important to be aware that sudden and extreme increases in swelling of the feet, ankles, hands or face can be a sign of a pregnancy complication known as preeclampsia and need to be assessed by a doctor as soon as possible.

Dermatological changes: Due to the change in weight, posture and again hormones, some women experience dry and cracked heels, ingrown toenails or corns during pregnancy. These issues can be extremely painful and can in some cases develop into infections if not cared for appropriately.

What you can do:

- If you’re noticing changes that are causing you discomfort seek help early, the earlier we see you during the pregnancy the easier it is for us to put a plan in place so as get further into your pregnancy things can be managed well, while we aren’t able to use every treatment we can use on those not pregnant we have many alternative options to help you and we deal with patients during their pregnancies all the time.

- Make sure your shoes fit properly! Approximately 70% of people wear the wrong shoe size! And that’s not just when people are pregnant, so make sure your shoes fit you well. You need enough space to wiggle your toes, you should have at least .5-1cm space at the end of your shoes. We understand it can be hard to accept your favourite shoes don’t fit anymore but we can assure you letting those shoes go hurts less than the ingrown toenail you might develop if you keep wearing them!

- If your arches or ankles are sore this might be a time you require a shoe with some more stability in it, think something with laces and a small heel rather than slip-ons. Are you more comfortable in your runners at the moment?

Did you know you can get elastic laces if you can’t reach to tie up your shoes?

- Using a proper foot cream for your heels and skin on your feet reduces the risk of heel cracks and corns. Make sure the cream has UREA in it - you can get ureas up to 40% but something with 15-20% will work in most cases.

- If you need us to help you please let us know - we have patients we only see during their pregnancies sometimes its as simply as a general care appointment where we do a check up and care for the toenails and hard skin and it’s just one thing they don’t have to worry about during a time where there is a lot to think about!