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Worn shoes are an indicator of your health, NC doctor says

Doctors say Americans take an average 5000 steps a day so it may come as no surprise that the soles of your shoes can actually be a roadmap to your health.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Did you know your shoes could speak? No really, have you ever noticed a particular area of your shoe that is always worn down?

Doctors say Americans take an average 5000 steps a day so it may come as no surprise that the soles of your shoes can actually be a roadmap to your health.

If you suffer from sore calves, or unexplained pain in your feet, knees or lower back, go grab a pair of your older shoes and flip them over.

“Looking at the patient is definitive, but you can make a thumbnail sketch by looking at that,” said Dr. Richard Lind, DPM, a board-certified podiatric surgeon with Carmel Foot Specialists in Charlotte.

Dr. Lind said when it comes to feet, everybody has a type. Looking at your shoe, if the outside edge is worn, you likely have a high arch and put all of the pressure on the outside of your foot.

“That high-arch foot is a much more rigid foot so they are a very hard heel striker and forefoot planter, so they’re going to be almost bowlegged, and they’re going to have some lateral knee strain,” Dr. Lind said.

If your shoe is worn down on the inside edge, doctors say that’s because your arch collapses during walking, forcing your ankle to roll inwards.

“As you pronate, your whole lower leg actually twists so now you've got this twisting in the knee itself and so that’s an abnormal strain across the front of the knee and the kneecap can even track laterally as the whole knee is twisted forward,” he said.

And what about wear under your big-toe bone? Doctors say wear there could mean your Achilles tendon is tight. An issue somewhat common, they say, for women who often wear high heels, or for people who point their toes down while sitting.

The good news, however, is doctors say many of these issues can be fixed by getting fitted for proper supports or inserts. But left untreated, doctors say they could lead to serious health conditions.

“It takes a good base to build a tall building and if you’ve got these abnormal motions going through the foot than it translates through the knee into the hips and it affects the whole function of the person,” Dr. Lind said.

And one last tidbit, doctors also say you should limit your time in non-supportive sandals during the summer months, saying they can cause pain in your shins or arches and can cause your feet to eventually flatten out.

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