OFFICE LIFE AND FOOT HEALTH: ARE YOUR SHOES HARMING YOU?

It is undoubtedly true that with globalization and modernization, more MNCs have paved their way in our country creating a plethora of employment opportunities. As more people are employed under the shared umbrella, the spike in physical activity has significantly deteriorated. As more people are drawn to the cage of cubicles for 9-5 every day, many health adversities have also begun to crawl out slowly to grab us into abnormalities that have dead ends. Endless hours are spent sitting in the chairs and our legs are put to use only while taking a drag as a break or while shifting to the seminar room for a meeting. That being said, more people are now conscious about their health and have already started taking measures to walk out of the sedentary lifestyle often spent in one cubicle of a giant conglomerate. While their overall physique is taken good care of by the hired trainer, our feet are always compensated for the needed care. It may come off as a shock to few, or many, but improper footwear and still lifestyle can negatively impact our foot health. Office life demands a balance between comfort for efficiency and professionalism for maintaining a sophisticated workplace environment. Hence it may sometimes be confusing to choose between two, which often ends up with professionalism being prioritized over comfort and our poor feet are the ones to suffer. 

Tight footwear with heels that disrupt the body's balance or poorly fitted footwear that entirely lacks support ends up being the root cause of many foot deformities that gradually progress to affect the legs, spine, and neck. The statistics of the average sitting hours of an individual employed at any multinational corporation are jaw-dropping. Longer sitting hours interfere with the spine and can induce back pain, poor posture, and poor circulation in the extremities. The following paragraphs will deal with the details of how office and corporate life saturates us psychologically but also our feet.

• PLANTAR FASCIITIS:

One of the most common foot conditions, particularly in employees with prolonged standing hours, is the swelling of plantar fascia- a band of tissue that runs along the bottom of the feet. It arises when the footwear lacks proper arch support and cushioning. High heels are one category of footwear that can lead to this condition owing to increased pressure on the forefoot, uneven weight distribution, and lack of arch support.

• BUNIONS:

A bony protrusion that develops at the base of the big toe, bunions often cause intense pain and swelling. They exert abnormal pressure on the foot often arising due to the selection of tight or narrow footwear or high heels. Such footwear usually forces toes in an unnatural position. Choosing such footwear while logging in into the office for an entire day can hence increase the risk of bunions.

Therefore, shoes or footwear with wide and spacious toe boxes are recommended to hit the mark of comfort and professionalism accurately simultaneously.

• FLAT FEET AND OVERPRONATION:

Flat feet are a deformity that holds the description in its name itself. It is a condition where the arch of the feet collapses resulting in the feet making contact with the ground. This condition ultimately leads to overpronation, a condition where the feet roll inward excessively while walking and running. Both these anomalies give rise to intense pain that impedes efficiency and are a direct result of inappropriate footwear that fails to support the arch.

• FOOT CRAMPS AND CALLUSES:

The knack to look top-notch is met unconditionally at the cost of discomfort in the feet all day but while one is making a statement to be crowned as the icon, their feet and hence their posture are suffering the most. As a result of continuous use of ill-fitted footwear, feet end up being sore and in utmost pain which, if left unchecked can cause toe cramps and hammertoes.

• BACK AND KNEE PAIN:

It should not come as a surprise that our knees and feet are directly associated with our back. Footwear that changes the body's alignment tamper with the spine causing poor posture and back pain. The misalignment also exerts pressure on the spine and back. Heels and ill-fitted footwear are again the culprits, and our knees and ankles become the victims once again.

Therefore, not only apt clothes are necessary to look presentable and comfortable but also a good pair of footwear is of equal necessity while shopping for office footwear to avoid knee and ankle strain which gradually impact our spine and neck and impede our performance for appraisal.