What do your feet have to do with your hips? Quite a bit actually. Despite the distance between them, any issues with your feet can cause serious pain in other parts of your body, including your hips.

The team of expert podiatrists at Michfoot Surgeons specialize in foot problems, but they can also address and even solve your hip pain.

Overview of the hip

Your hip is one of the largest joints in your body. Both your thigh bone and pelvis meet at your hip to make a ball-and-socket joint. This joint is mostly responsible for bearing weight and supporting you while you stand. Many muscles, ligaments, and other bands of tissue surround the joint to help stabilize it. Nerves, like your sciatic nerve, also run through this joint.

How do your feet cause hip pain?

Because your hip is so complicated, it’s very easy for it to become injured and cause you pain. Even small discrepancies or issues with your feet can result in hip pain. Here are a few foot problems that can cause serious hip pain:

Plantar fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis affects the long band of tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot. You’ll often experience sharp pain in your heel especially when taking your first steps in the morning. To avoid pain, you change the way you walk. Abnormal changes in your gait can force your hip into an unnatural position and cause you pain.

To treat your plantar fasciitis and residual hip pain, we recommend custom orthotics, gentle stretching exercises, or splints you wear at night.

Fallen arches

Your arches are extremely important to your gait. When your arches fall, you have flat feet and your gait becomes abnormal. Little or no arch to your feet cause your ankle to roll inward or outward in an unnatural way. This puts stress on your hip, resulting in pain.

Treatment for your fallen arches includes physical therapy, supportive footwear, custom orthotics, and daily stretching exercises.

High arches

Similar to fallen arches, abnormally high arches also put you at risk for hip pain. High arches throw your foot out of alignment and with it, your hips. A hip out of alignment is a hip in pain.

Along with custom orthotics, we recommend bracing and special shoes to correct your arches and restore your body to alignment.

Other foot problems like bunions, bone spurs, hammertoe, and neuromas that cause you to change how you walk and put you at risk for hip pain.

How can I treat my hip pain?

The best way to treat your hip pain, especially hip pain caused by foot problems, is to treat the underlying causes. We offer a comprehensive list of treatments for your foot issues, but want you to have strategies to alleviate your hip pain at home as well. Here are a few things we recommend:

Get some rest

The best thing for hip pain is to rest. Stay away from lifting, bending, or other activities that put pressure on your hip. It’s also best to avoid sleeping on the hip that’s causing you problems.

Try anti-inflammatories

Hips that are out of alignment as a result of foot problems are often inflamed. NSAIDs like ibuprofen can help to reduce pain caused by inflammation. Always consult our doctors for advice about the best over-the-counter medications to take.

Apply heat and ice

Heat promotes blood flow and healing, while ice reduces inflammation. Applying both at 15-minute intervals helps to relieve some of your hip pain.

Stretch it out

Gentle stretching can help to reduce hip pain by improving range of motion. Ask our experts for a list of stretches you can do at home.

Hip pain can affect every aspect of your life. Don’t go another day suffering from hip pain caused by issues with your feet. When you’re ready to be free from hip pain and solve your foot problems once and for all, call our office or make an appointment online.