I doubt anyone ever thought of their feet as fat – not since childhood at least. Podgy feet in children is perfectly natural, and into adulthood having fat deposits within soles is important for your comfort, your gait and the on going health of your feet.

This week I had a visit from a lady who, having experienced foot pain that just would not resolve and looked to her GP for help. After her consultation she was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis and given some stretches to do.

Plantar fasciitis is a common problem I see in clinic and indeed when the lady came to see me the symptoms recounted certainly sounded like it: foot pain as soon as she stepped out of bed, pain during the day that would be worse after resting. Like so many who suffer with this condition, the client had an active job, on her feet all day and had no real opportunity to rest her feet, so her foot pain was interfering with her work, her quality of life and family time.

All in all it sounded like plantar fasciitis, but history and symptoms are only part of a consultation. Assessing the foot, moving it and palpating the area of tenderness help me to assess what is damaged and causing pain – and that leads to a diagnosis. This case was not what it seemed.

First off, the pain was predominantly in the fore foot – classic plantar fasciitis pain is in the heel and/or arch area. The patient described the pain as burning, again not a classic symptom and in both feet. It was only when I start to carry out a physical examination that the problem became clear – no fat pad over the forefoot. This patient was walking on the bony heads of her metatarsals, and it hurt. A lot.

No amount of stretches was going to help this lady but padding under the forefoot would. Using specialist memory foam I created a simple pair of insoles for her to wear in her work shoes – and immediately the pain decreased.

The fat pads on our feet are essential for our comfort and occur at the heel and the forefoot. As we age this fatty pad degenerates leaving the bones unprotected.

So, having fat feet is a good thing.

It is your podiatrist you should consult for anything to do with the foot – that’s what we train for. Don’t waste your GPs time – if you have any concerns about your foot health please book in with a trained professional for an assessment. It will save you time and money in the long run.

Happy walking ……

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