Changes to Your Feet Can Cause Pain as You Age

Bodies change with age, but one place that gets the least attention are the feet.

Over time, you may notice some changes to your feet.

According to Clifford L. Jeng, M.D., FAAOS, Medical Director of The Institute for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction at Mercy, feet get bigger through aging thanks to gravity, so it may be time to double-check your shoe size.

That's one thing to check out if your feet have been hurting. While feet get bigger, they also lose fat.

"One of the most common things is that people start to lose their fat padding under their feet, and we're all born with a certain amount of fat padding into our ball of our feet and our heels. Some people, they lose it quicker than others. And so, when they have that, they'll feel like they're walking on marbles or they're walking on rocks. They can't stand to walk barefoot," Dr. Jeng said. "So, a simple thing to help people with fat pad atrophy is to get a silicone pad, where you kind of put your foot into it and there's silicone padding on the ball. It makes it much easier for you to walk."

Dr. Jeng noted that you may notice your toenails change, too. They could start to develop fungus. It can also get harder to trim them, so he said, in many cases, it may just be better to leave them alone.

View Mercy orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Clifford Jeng's interview regarding aging and foot health.