Pregnancy & Your Feet

Pregnancy triggers many different changes in a woman's body. Many women have common complaints about their feet throughout their pregnancy. Due to natural weight gain, a woman's center of gravity is completely altered. This causes added pressure to the hips, knees, and feet.

Some of the most common complaints of pregnant women are leg cramping, varicose veins, edema or water retention, and overall foot pain. It is important for women to learn all they can about foot health during their pregnancy to help make this nine month period as comfortable as possible.

Over Pronation and Edema are both very common foot problems during pregnancy. Over Pronation can create extreme stress and inflammation of the plantar fascia. Many of the ligaments and tendons of the foot are stressed and strained as well, resulting in overall foot pain. Edema, or swelling of the feet, is normal and occurs as a result of the enlarging uterus putting pressure on the blood vessels in the pelvis and legs causing circulation to slow down and fluids to pool in the lower extremities. If swelling of the feet is severe or it extends to the upper body as well, a call to the doctor is warranted. It is important that pregnant woman eat a healthy diet rich in vital nutrients for the development of a healthy baby, get plenty of rest, and regularly visits the doctor during her nine month term.

The use of a custom fitted ezWalker™ provides support and stability for the foot creating better balance and posture lessening stress on the entire body. The ezWalker™ coupled with properly fitted footwear for the pregnant woman is important to reduce the effects of edema conditions and provide better stability lessening the risk of fall. The ezWalker™ fits well in all shoes and transfers from shoe to shoe with ease. HTP Heel Seats will cushion the heel adding anti-shock to every step.

Make sure you are fitting your shoes properly. Have your fit checked regularly and remember the size on the measuring device is only a reference. Mass manufactured shoes are NOT all created equal. Refer to the Shoe Fitting Reference Guide for proper guidelines on how to best fit your shoes.

If you are following these guidelines and foot pain persists, you must seek the council of a physician for diagnosis and treatment.