Do you stand for long periods of time at work? Do you wear supportive shoes? Or does your workplace have hard, slippery or an uneven surface? When it comes to your feet, you should consider the time you spend at work and its effects on your feet.
Here are some workplace situations that may be doing more harm to your feet than you realise.
Wearing high heels
In some workplaces, high heels are part of the dress code, especially if your job role requires you to meet with clients. However, wearing high heels can cause you to lean forward and add pressure to the balls of your feet. The higher the heel, the more weight and pressure that gets shifted forward. This puts your whole body out of alignment.
If you must wear high heels try the following:
- Stretch your calf muscles before and after wearing heels
- Limiting the height of the heel to a maximum of two inches
- Don’t wear high heels for long periods of time
- Vary your footwear to and from work so you are reducing the amount of time in heels
The wrong shoes
Wearing the wrong shoe for the job role can cause blisters, calluses and corns to form on your feet. Whether you are working on a building site, in a factory or a retail store, ill-fitted shoes must be avoided.
Ensure you select the correct shoe for your occupation, and ask for advice from your Podiatrist if you continue to have problems.
Floor surfaces at work
Spending 8 hours a day on concrete floors, slippery floors or uneven surfaces can have an impact on your feet. Wearing the incorrect shoes could expose you to a higher risk of slips and falls, sprained ankles, and fractures. For example, when surfaces in the workplace are slippery, non-slip footwear should be worn while in construction steel cap boots are advised.
Is continuous standing in your occupation damaging your feet?
Many jobs, such as hairdressing, factory work, and working in stores require a lot of hours standing. With the wrong shoes you may risk bunions, severe foot pain, fallen arches, inflammation and malformation of the toes. So ensure you wear comfortable shoes that are supportive and if possible, take regular breaks from standing.
What you can do to protect your feet at work
- See a podiatrist for footwear advice
- Speak to your employer to see if they can reduce the hours spent on your feet
- Take a spare pair of comfortable (but formal) shoes to work
- Consider orthotics
- Wear leather or canvas shoes that will allow your feet to breathe
Moreland Podiatry – Is your occupation damaging your feet?
If you are concerned about the effect your work shoes are having on your feet, our expert Podiatrists can assess your feet, and advise you how to manage the issue.
Call Moreland Podiatry if you have any further questions regarding your feet or book an appointment online to speak to one of our expert podiatrists in person.
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