Do Our Feet Lose Padding as We Get Older?

Summit Orthopedics foot and ankle surgeon Samuel Russ, M.D., gives his insight into how feet can lose foot padding over time and what we can do about it.

Our feet work hard for us as we go about our daily activities. With every step, our heels absorb three times our body weight and transfer some of that pressure to the balls of our feet as we prepare to take the next step. To deal with this repeated pressure, our feet have thick pads of fat under the skin of our heels and our metatarsals (the medical term for the ball of the foot). But what happens if those fat pads thin out? Do our feet lose padding as we get older?

The short answer, according to Summit Orthopedics foot and ankle surgeon Samuel Russ, M.D., is yes. “People can lose padding in the heel fat pad, which is important for absorbing the heel strike as you walk,” Dr. Russ said. “They can also lose padding underneath the metatarsals. That’s important for when you toe off at the end of each step. ”

Why we lose foot padding

There are a few reasons that our feet might lose padding over time. “Some of it is age-related atrophy,” Dr. Russ said. If an individual has had many injections in the heel to treat plantar fasciitis, that could lead to a loss of padding as well.

Another potential cause is chronic overloading in the ball of the foot. This can happen for a variety of reasons, everything from wearing high-heeled shoes every day to being overweight. “People who chronically overload the ball of their foot can get hammertoes,” Dr. Russ said. “That condition can draw the fat pad toward the toes, leaving less padding in the area that takes the weight.”

Signs of loss of fat padding in the heel or ball of the foot include pain in the affected area, development of thick calluses on the heel or ball of the foot, and feeling the bones within your feet more easily.

Ideas to treat loss of foot padding

Heel fat pad atrophy can be a tough problem to treat. Treatment options include shoe inserts, heel cups, or gel pads to add some cushion in the shoe.

Another effective treatment is stretching the calf. “Most people have tight calf muscles,” Dr. Russ said. “This can alter your heel strike so you strike your heel in the place where you have the least padding. Stretching the calf back out can be helpful in restoring comfort.”

If these nonsurgical options are not effective and the pain is severe, a foot and ankle surgeon may be able to perform surgery to lengthen the heel cord and help address the issue.

For fat pad loss in the ball of the foot, treatment options include an orthotic device to offload that area as well as calf stretching. “If the heel lifts off before it should because the calf is tight, that puts more load on the ball of the foot,” Dr. Russ said.

If there is an overarching foot deformity causing the fat pad to move out of place, correcting the problem surgically is also an option.

More resources for you:

• Meet Dr. Russ in this introductory video.
• Learn how to avoid developing foot problems.
• Check out part 1 and part 2 of our “Why Do My Feet Hurt?” series.
• Learn how our footprints can indicate foot health.
• Watch this video on the difference between foot sprains and fractures.
• Take a look at this common foot and ankle sports injuries video.

Share this on

No Fat on the Bottom of Your Feet? What You Need to Know About Fat Pad

Do your feet feel painful after you walk on a hard surface without shoes? Are high-heels completely out of the question due to intense pain? Do you always seem to have calluses, regardless of how many pedicures you get? If so, you might have fat pad atrophy.

Losing fat is often the topic of conversation on health blogs for reasons like improved health, better cardiovascular fitness, boosted confidence, and more. But in the case of fat pad atrophy in the feet, that isn’t the case. In fact, when you lose the fat on your feet, you are faced with persistent pain that can prevent you from living a happy and fulfilling life.

Today we’re going to do a deep dive into fat pad atrophy. What is fat pad atrophy? Why is there fat on the bottom of your feet? What are the symptoms and causes of this condition? And finally, what you can do about it.

What is fat pad atrophy?

Fat pad atrophy is the gradual loss of the fat pad in the ball or heel of the foot. This thinning of the fat exposes the sensitive connective tissues to strain and pressure. It’s essential to have fat pads on the feet, because these act as cushioning to soften the impact of your feet hitting the ground every day.

During a typical day, your feet bear the collective load of hundreds of thousands of pounds. On average, your feet absorb a total force of 26,000 pounds. Wearing high heels or doing high-impact exercise like running drastically increases the total amount of force your feet absorb.

The fat pad in the foot is a thick layer that lies on the plantar surface, cushioning the forefoot and heel when it makes contact with the ground. This function is necessary, helping to shield the feet from damage and repeated stress.

When plantar fat pad atrophy occurs, it can be devastating. Inflammation and micro-tears occur. This leads to intense pain and confusion, as oftentimes, the source of the pain isn’t clear. Severe atrophy can prevent you from walking or standing on your feet for long periods of time, because the impact is taking its toll.

Fat pad atrophy is often associated with heel pad syndrome. This is a pain that occurs in the center of the heel, but is due to fat pad atrophy. Heel pad syndrome can present alongside plantar fasciitis.

What does fat pad atrophy feel like?

● Pain under the heel or ball of the foot

● Difficulty walking on a hard surface without shoes

● A burning sensation

● Dull ache

● A sensation that you are stepping on pebbles

What are other symptoms of fat pad atrophy?

Aside from the aforementioned symptoms associated with pain, fat pad atrophy is linked to other symptoms. For example, if you have chronic calluses on your feet, it may be indicative that the fat is thinning. In the case of heel pad syndrome, if you have been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, this can be connected to fat pad atrophy.

Many people with this condition have reported a feeling that they are walking “directly on the bone” and even hearing the bone make contact with the ground with each step. As unpleasant as this sounds, it’s a tell-tale indicator of fat pad atrophy.

You may be asymptomatic. You may only consider there to be an issue after performing high-impact exercise or standing on your feet for an extended period of time. If this sensation occurs, don’t ignore it, to prevent it from getting worse.

What are the risk factors for fat pad atrophy?

● Obesity – The increased load from excess body weight can cause the fat pad to lose its protective resiliency.

● Plantar fasciitis – Studies show that having plantar fasciitis is linked to a thinner metatarsal fat pad.

● Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) – RA is associated with atrophy of the muscles, cartilage, bones and fat tissue, caused by inflammation. This happens all around the body, and the feet are no different.

● High-impact exercise – High-impact exercise like running or jumping can cause the thinning of fat pads over time. This aggravates the foot, and can exacerbate the loss.

● Wearing high-heels – Wearing high-heels shifts your weight to the front of your weight, placing excessive mechanical stress and pressure on the balls of your feet. In general, wearing poorly cushioned shoes can also exacerbate this condition.

How to treat fat pad atrophy

The first point-of-call is to meet with a podiatrist to get the condition diagnosed. If fat pad atrophy is severe, it will require medical intervention to treat it most effectively.

If you want to try and treat this condition yourself, the first thing you need to do is to replace the fat pad with shock absorption from the outside of the foot. In short, wear better shoes. Look for shoes with added cushioning. This will give your feet the support they need so the wearing down of the pads starts to halt. This may give your feet the chance to repair themselves naturally, rebuilding the fat tissue that has been lost.

Wearing orthotics or shoe inserts is a go-to treatment for many podiatrists. As stated by John Steinberg, DPM, chief of podiatric surgery at Medstar Georgetown Hospital in Washington, DC. “Conservative treatment can be quite successful; it can ease pain and prevent symptoms from getting worse.” Simply getting insoles for your shoes that you wear on a daily basis can help to give your feet a break, to repair. Click here to shop for custom insoles.

Steinberg can be quoted again to say, “Patients with heel fat pad atrophy often do well with viscoelastic orthotic devices, heel cushions, and heel cups—and any material that has at least 3 to 5 mm of cushion.” The goal is to give your feet what they are lacking – cushioning! They

don’t have to be ugly orthopedic shoes either – check out the fashionable range of shoes

In severe cases, you may have to treat fat pad atrophy with fat grafting. While it is effective, most patients prefer to use this as a last resort.

without statute of limitations e-mail.indd

%PDF-1.3
%
10 obj
>]/Pages 3 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences>>>
endobj
20 obj
>stream
2022-05-17T10:14:34+03:002022-05-17T10:14:52+03:002022-05-17T10:14:52+03:00Adobe InDesign 15.1 (Windows)uuid:b532172e-75ab-4123-bd50-a86d 40c923f4xmp.did:92e5ae26-ec0f-924d-b52f-a9cb12d28fcfxmp.id:3ecdf5a2-e818-f54f-8daf-5eac6d96f217proof:pdf1xmp.iid:d5027814-ac80-ea4d-a056-3451d 4c98df5xmp.did:d5027814-ac80-ea4d-a056-3451d4c98df5xmp.did:92e5ae26-ec0f-924d-b52f-a9cb12d28fcfdefault

application/pdf

Adobe PDF Library 15.0FalsePDF/X-3:2003PDF/X-3:2003PDF/X-3:2003
endstream
endobj
3 0 obj
>
endobj
15 0 obj
>
endobj
16 0 obj
>
endobj
22 0 obj
>
endobj
23 0 obj
>
endobj
24 0 obj
>
endobj
25 0 obj
>
endobj
26 0 obj
>
endobj
47 0 obj
>
endobj
48 0 obj
>
endobj
490 obj
>
endobj
50 0 obj
>
endobj
51 0 obj
>
endobj
52 0 obj
>
endobj
53 0 obj
>
endobj
54 0 obj
>
endobj
55 0 obj
>
endobj
96 0 obj
/LastModified/NumberofPages 1/OriginalDocumentID/PageUIDList>/PageWidthList>>>>>/Resources>/Font>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC]/XObject>>>/TrimBox[0. 0 0.0 481.89 680.315]/Type/Page>>
endobj
97 0 obj
/LastModified/NumberofPages 1/OriginalDocumentID/PageUIDList>/PageWidthList>>>>>/Resources>/Font>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]>>/TrimBox[0.0 0.0 481.89680.315]/Type/Page>>
endobj
98 0 obj
/LastModified/NumberofPages 1/OriginalDocumentID/PageUIDList>/PageWidthList>>>>>/Resources>/Font>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]>>/TrimBox[0.0 0.0 481.89 680.315]/Type/Page>>
endobj
99 0 obj
/LastModified/NumberofPages 1/OriginalDocumentID/PageUIDList>/PageWidthList>>>>>/Resources>/Font>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]>>/TrimBox[0.0 0.0 481.89 680.315]/Type/Page>>
endobj
100 0 obj
/LastModified/NumberofPages 1/OriginalDocumentID/PageUIDList>/PageWidthList>>>>>/Resources>/Font>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]>>/TrimBox[0.0 0.0 481.89680.315]/Type/Page>>
endobj
101 0 obj
/LastModified/NumberofPages 1/OriginalDocumentID/PageUIDList>/PageWidthList>>>>>/Resources>/Font>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]>>/TrimBox[0.0 0.0 481.89 680.315]/Type/Page>>
endobj
102 0 obj
/LastModified/NumberofPages 1/OriginalDocumentID/PageUIDList>/PageWidthList>>>>>/Resources>/Font>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]>>/TrimBox[0. 0 0.0 481.89 680.315]/Type/Page>>
endobj
103 0 obj
/LastModified/NumberofPages 1/OriginalDocumentID/PageUIDList>/PageWidthList>>>>>/Resources>/ExtGState>/Font>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC/ImageI]/Properties>/Shading>/XObject>>>/TrimBox[0.0 0.0 481.898]ǀŅ01r3tc-snojlJ\L5>.捜h]+o

2I

Site map