Feet And Back Pain After Work

[tinytherese]

I'm working at a grocery store in the Italian Express and bakery sections. I'm either on my feet or walking around during my shifts preparing food, serving customers, packaging food, etc.

I come home at night with the soles of my feet, arches, heels, and insteps hurting. The pain lasts for hours. By the time I wake up in the morning, the pain is usually gone. My upper and lower back hurt occasionally as well.

Heat pads don't work for me.

I wear sneakers that fit and are comfortable. My job requires us to wear closed toe and closed heal shoes that are slip resistant.

I tried wearing shoe inserts to relieve the pain, but they didn't help.

I've tried elevating my feet during the break that I have at work and when I get home and massaging my feet with lotion, without success.

I haven't had any injuries that would bring this on.

The only surgery I've ever had is when I got my wisdom teeth out 10 years ago.

I've heard that being overweight can cause bodily aches, but I'm skinny.

[Basilisa Marie]

Sadly, that sounds kinda standard for being on your feet all day. Have you looked into getting fitted for orthopedic shoes? I found out that my ankles pronate, so getting the right kind of shoes (not just those squishy inserts) gave me the kind of support I needed so that the pain was much better. But it never went away completely. What kind of shoes are you wearing now? 

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

Sadly, that sounds kinda standard for being on your feet all day. Have you looked into getting fitted for orthopedic shoes? I found out that my ankles pronate, so getting the right kind of shoes (not just those squishy inserts) gave me the kind of support I needed so that the pain was much better. But it never went away completely. What kind of shoes are you wearing now? 

 

I agree, this has happened to me several times and changing shoes (or finding a way to sit down more often rather than stand--some stores provide stools for cashiners) turned out to fix my problem.

 

It could be that sneakers are not giving your feet enough support and you need a more supportive shoe (but with a rubber bottom). I also found that getting personally fitted for orthopedic insoles (versus ones you buy at the drugstore) helped a lot because, for example, the arches on my feet didn't match the arches on the insoles.

 

Also, this is a long shot, but is one of your legs longer than the other? Even a difference of half an inch can cause foot/leg/back pain, and can be easily fixed by an insert in one of your shoes.

 

Not sure whether to recommend a visit to an orthopedist or a foot doctor. Probably an orthopedist, since he/she will look into your back pain as well as your feet and legs. But, the back pain from standing can often be treated by dealing with foot issues.

 

Good luck!

Edited September 18, 2014 by IgnatiusofLoyola

[Lilllabettt]

1. Look into getting SAS shoes. They are expensive. They last for years and are very good for feet.

2. Don't use lotion or otherwise "baby" your feet --- if you develop callouses, thats good. 

[tinytherese]

I wear tennis shoes at work. My legs are the same length, but my left foot is half an inch longer than my right.

[Basilisa Marie]

I wear tennis shoes at work. My legs are the same length, but my left foot is half an inch longer than my right.

 

You might benefit from wearing special shoes made for runners. They tend to offer more support. But then, you'd still benefit most from going to a special shoe store and getting someone to look at what the issue is. Is it your arches needing support, your heel needing stabilization, or maybe it's just normal running around all day aches and pains - you'd need someone to look at your feet to tell you what's up. 

 

Any real solution's going to be kinda expensive.  But it can be worth it, it is for me. 

[truthfinder]

Sometimes sore lower legs actually comes from weaker or injured muscles around the knees or even your hips not being rightly aligned.  You might want to see if there are any easy strengthening/stretching exercises for these muscles.  Otherwise, ice, elevation, and an anti-inflammatory if you want.  But in many ways, it might just be standard fare of working your job - I know it was in mine when I was working a similar sort of position.