At Your Next Step, we see that jobs shape people’s foot health in many ways. Whether you’re a nurse, painter, chef, or CEO, different professions place unique demands on our feet, which often lead to a variety of problems. Let’s explore some common professions and the specific foot health challenges they face.
Foot and Ankle Conditions by Profession
Nurses: Nurses spend long hours on their feet, often walking and standing for extended periods. This can lead to heel pain and plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, and swelling due to prolonged standing.
To combat this fatigue, there are clothing lines like Figs that are tailored to keep healthcare professionals and their feet comfortable during long shifts.
Blue-Collar Workers: Construction workers, factory workers, and laborers perform physically demanding tasks that involve heavy lifting, walking on uneven surfaces, and wearing heavy boots.
Ankle sprains and muscle strains are common due to the nature of this work, including foot and ankle injuries from falls or dropped objects. Arthritis in the ankle and toe joints is common due to stress on the feet. Over time, years of heavy lifting can also contribute to altered biomechanics that affect your gait and posture.
Workers should wear steel-toed boots to prevent immediate trauma, but they should also invest in custom inserts to keep their feet comfortable and snugly fit.
Cooks and Chefs: These professionals spend long hours standing on hard surfaces in hot environments. Like nurses, cooks can experience swelling and plantar fasciitis from being upright for so long. However, since they are working in hot environments that prohibit open-toed, breathable shoes, cooks and chefs are also prone to fungal infections like athlete’s foot.
Kitchens should also have non-slip mats to prevent falls and ankle sprains. Taking regular breaks outside and wearing compression socks to improve circulation can both alleviate the “fire” your feet are put to daily.
Office Workers: While seemingly less demanding on the feet, desk jobs can also pose risks like poor circulation from prolonged sitting. From one extreme to the next, sitting too much can cause swelling and blood clots due to deep vein thrombosis.
There are studies to suggest that sitting is the new smoking, so the immediate remedy here is to take more breaks. Walking around the office and going to the water cooler will do your feet wonders.
Dress-Shoe Professionals: Lawyers, models, executives, and financial professionals all share one thing in common: uncomfortable shoes. Down the line, many of these people develop foot deformities like bunions and hammertoes. Blisters, corns, and calluses are most likely a monthly occurrence.
But this doesn’t have to be reality. Being more intentional about your foot choices —by using custom orthotics, maximizing time in casual clothing, wearing the right socks, and getting regular foot screenings —can be the difference between chronic pain and feeling agile.
Dr. Eric Ricefield, Dr. Mark Yagodich, Dr. Aliza V. Eisen, and Dr. Cassandra Stache are happy to solve your foot and ankle problems. Book your appointment and contact us today!