How Foot Posture Can Cause Hip and Lower Back Pain – Advice from Your Podiatrist in Albany Creek

Many people are surprised when their hip or lower back pain starts to ease after we treat their feet. At My Family Podiatry, your trusted podiatrist in Albany Creek, we often see how poor foot posture quietly affects movement higher up the body. As experienced biomechanical podiatrists, we will assess the way your feet move and the forces they create through your knees, hips, and spine.

Even subtle changes in how your feet function can alter posture, shift balance, and place extra strain on your back over time. Once these issues are addressed with orthotics, strengthening, or footwear changes, many patients find their back pain finally improves, sometimes after years of chasing other treatments.

The Connection Between Your Feet and Your Back

Your feet form the base of your body’s alignment. Each step sends force upward through the ankles, knees, hips, and spine. If your feet roll in too much or not enough, those forces shift, and the joints above compensate. Over time, that compensation creates muscle tension, joint strain, and potentially chronic pain.

Common symptoms we see include:

• Aching hips after standing or walking for long periods

• Lower back pain that worsens toward the end of the day

• One-sided tightness through the hips or hamstrings

• Recurring knee or gluteal pain in runners

How Foot Posture Affects Your Body

Your foot position doesn’t just influence how forces are distributed through the body, it also affects how muscles can function.

When the foot excessively pronates, the tibia and femur internally rotate. This change in alignment alters the way muscles activate, particularly around the hip and pelvis. Excessive pronation often reduces the ability of the gluteal muscles to activate effectively, forcing other muscles such as the quadratus lumborum (QL) and lower back extensors to pick up the slack.

Over time, this compensation leads to increased load through the lower back, creating tightness, fatigue, and discomfort. In contrast, if the foot remains too rigid or supinated, it fails to absorb shock efficiently. This force may impact joints up the chain such as ankles, knees and hips, even transmitting more force directly up into the spine and the structures of the low back.

In both cases, foot posture affects not only how load travels through your body but also how your muscles respond and stabilise with each step.

How We Assess Foot Posture and Biomechanics

As a local biomechanical podiatrist with, we use advanced diagnostic tools to pinpoint how your feet move and how that movement affects your hips and back. Patients from Albany Creek and surrounding suburbs often find that improving foot position and function eases or resolves chronic hip and lower back symptoms.

Our biomechanical assessments may include:

• Video gait analysis on a treadmill

• VALD Force Deck testing for strength and symmetry

• Range of motion and flexibility measurements

• Footwear review

• Diagnostic ultrasound when soft tissue problems are suspected

Treatment Options

Orthotics: Orthotics do not permanently correct alignment, but they can help position the foot in a way that allows muscles to function more efficiently. By improving foot position, they can facilitate better gluteal activation, more balanced force distribution, and reduced compensatory load through the hips and lower back.

Shockwave Therapy: When muscle tension or tendon overload is contributing to pain, shockwave therapy can help. At My Family Podiatry we use both radial and focused EMS Dolorclast systems to relieve pain and stimulate tissue healing.

Strengthening and Mobility Exercises: We’ll prescribe specific stretches and strengthening exercises to target the calves, glutes, and core muscles that support alignment. Improving these areas reduces strain on the back and hips while keeping your feet stable.

Footwear and Posture Advice: We’ll guide you on supportive shoe choices and simple posture adjustments that can make an immediate difference to comfort and load control.

The Risks of Leaving It Untreated

Ignoring foot-related alignment problems often leads to chronic issues such as:

• Persistent hip or back stiffness

• Early joint wear from poor biomechanics

• Compensation injuries in the knees or opposite side of the body

• Reduced balance and fatigue when walking or exercising

Identifying these problems early allows us to correct them before they become long-term sources of pain.

When to See a Podiatrist

If you live in Albany Creek or nearby areas and have ongoing hip, knee, or lower back pain, your feet could be playing a major role. A detailed assessment with a foot posture podiatrist can uncover hidden causes that standard treatment might miss.

Book your biomechanical assessment at My Family Podiatry today and take the first step toward moving comfortably and confidently again.

Book Now