Our Experienced Texas Podiatrists Discuss How Bone Damage Can Impact Your Feet

Your feet are the foundation of your body, providing stability and balance and absorbing the impact of every step you take. Each foot has over 26 bones that provide support for your mobility. When you suffer any type of bone damage, it can negatively impact your body strength, flexibility, and quality of life. Proactively protecting the health of your bones is important to avoid damage and injury, especially to your feet.  

The skilled podiatrists at Alliance Foot & Ankle Specialists understand that bone health is directly linked to your overall body health. Here, we discuss common causes of bone damage and how injuries can affect the health of your feet.    

10 Factors That Contribute to Bone Damage

From injury and disease to age-related degeneration and lifestyle factors, bone damage can result from various factors. Ten of the most common causes of bone damage include the following:

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease that weakens your bones, including those in your feet. This medical condition makes your bones thinner, less dense, and more brittle, making them more susceptible to breaks and fractures. This condition is especially common in older adults, particularly post-menopausal women.

Loss of Bone Density

Some loss of bone density occurs naturally with aging, but various medical and lifestyle factors can contribute to this problem, including smoking, poor nutrition, hormonal imbalances, kidney disease, and an overactive thyroid. Losing bone density reduces the strength and integrity of your bones over time, causing them to become more fragile and prone to fractures or breaks.  

Arthritis

Osteoarthritis, also known as “wear and tear” arthritis, causes the cartilage that cushions a person’s joints to wear away, which can lead to painful bone-on-bone friction that results in bone damage, as well as pain and deformity in the affected joints. This medical condition can affect any joint in the foot, and it usually develops in patients 50 and older.

Bone Infection

Osteomyelitis is a bacterial infection of the bone, is quite dangerous, and should always be taken seriously. Not only does osteomyelitis cause pain and inflammation, but it can also lead to long-term bone damage, including the death of bone tissue, if not properly treated. Unexplained foot pain, swelling, or redness is often an indicator of osteomyelitis. Your podiatrist can diagnose this condition and provide a treatment plan.

Calcium Deficiency

Calcium is necessary for bone health, especially for the bones in your feet. If you have a calcium deficiency, your bones weaken over time. This leads to an elevated risk of fractures, breaks, a loss of bone density, and long-term bone deterioration.

Insufficient Sun Exposure

Not getting enough exposure to sunlight can contribute to bone damage because sunlight can impact vitamin D levels in the body. As with calcium, Vitamin D is crucial for bone health. It is necessary for calcium absorption and also plays an important role in helping to maintain healthy bone density and structure.

Bone Fractures and Breaks

Bone damage occurs any time a bone is fractured or broken. While a fracture or break can heal with prompt medical treatment, long-term bone damage may remain even after the bone has been repaired, especially if the injury is severe. Once a bone has been broken, the quality and strength of the bone may not return to the same condition it was in before the injury, with the fracture resulting in permanent systemic bone loss.

Weight Gain

When a person gains weight, additional stress is placed on their bones and joints and overall musculoskeletal system. Because extra pounds can cause your foot arches to flatten, this weight can put additional pressure on your feet and even change your gait. Weight gain can also increase your risk of bunions, which cause your feet to roll inward.

This increase in weight can damage bone and cartilage and potentially result in osteoporosis. Weight gain can also lead to chronic inflammation and hormonal imbalances, both of which may contribute to a decrease in bone density.

Sedentary Lifestyle

Not walking or failing to regularly engage in other types of weight-bearing activities can contribute to losing bone density and increasing your risk of developing osteoporosis. Being sedentary also negatively impacts muscle strength, balance, and coordination, which leads to an increased risk of falls and related bone injuries.  

Repetitive Strain

While it’s important to stay active, the strain of participating in high-impact sports, working in a job that requires demanding physical labor, or regularly engaging in repetitive movements can also lead to bone damage. Over time, repetitive strain and high exertion levels can cause stress fractures, especially in the feet, resulting in long-term bone damage.

Don’t Be Complacent About Bone Health

It’s important to be proactive about protecting your bones. Some risk factors for bone damage are a natural side effect of aging, but many of those risks can be avoided. It’s important to understand how bone damage can have a significant impact on your comfort and overall foot function. For example, fractures or degenerative conditions can lead to changes in the way your feet are shaped, and damage to weight-bearing bones can cause foot  instability and balance issues.

If you don’t walk much, have chronic foot pain, or are experiencing joint pain in your feet or ankles, you should see the podiatrists at Alliance Foot & Ankle Specialists right away. We will diagnose your foot condition and determine whether it is linked to bone damage. If so, we will work with you to develop an individualized plan to help strengthen your bones and improve your overall quality of life.

It’s important to be proactive in making lifestyle choices that will contribute positively to the health of your bones and decrease your risk of bone damage. If you’re in or around Tarrant County, Texas, we encourage you to see Dr. Richard A. Nichols or Dr. Joseph Harvey with Alliance Foot & Ankle Specialists. During your appointment, your podiatrist will review your medical history and conduct a thorough evaluation of your feet and ankles. We’ll discuss the best way to treat any areas of concern to maximize your podiatric health in a way that contributes positively to your bone health and protects you against avoidable bone damage.