Can Work Boots Cause Lower Back Pain?

It’s possible that the deficiency in blood circulation actually affects your lower back as well as your feet.
Poor circulation of blood to any part of the body, such as the brain or heart, can cause symptoms on other parts of the body. If this is what is happening to you, it may be a good idea to see a doctor for advice on getting more oxygen and nutrients (such as through Vitamin C and B). The symptoms often diminish with proper application after about three months. If they continue beyond six months without receding, seek medical attention from a podiatrist who specializes in vascular problems.

Causes of Back Pain From Work boots

The wrong size

Yes! It’s very common for nursing aides, who often spend over 8 hours a day on their feet in hospital jobs, to suffer from lower back pain.

Poor footwear can increase the stress put on the muscles of the back and abdomen during prolonged periods of standing or walking.

This is why many nurses end up with never-ending hips soreness or low back pain at some point in their career – when they are forced to stand or walk for extended periods in uncomfortable work boots.

To give these areas a break when not at work, consider investing in some good supportive footwear when you are able to take off your shoes!

Too much weight on the boots

It’s not the boots, it’s you. If your back is hurting, it may be because there are more of you stacked on top of them. This will cause lower back pain and posture problems.

Footwear for recreational purposes shouldn’t account for more than 10% of total body weight in most cases. That means that if you weigh 100 pounds then maximum permissible boot weight should be about 10 pounds even with a steel shank or orthopedic footbed insert like Dr Foot’s Total Support AR (Level 1) Insoles in place ̶ this would exceed the safe limit ̶ by quite a bit! Generally speaking, footwear should not exceed 5% iliotibial band pain (ITB).

There’s more to your back pain than just the weight of your boots. You need to examine all factors that may be causing you pain and consider weight as one on a long and ever-growing list.

The significance of the additional on-the-job stressors cannot be minimized; medical evidence tells us that on-the-job stress — not physical work — is the most common cause of lower back problems.

The simple truth is that it’s really hard for us as humans to feel our bodies, much less sense which jobs put undue pressure on certain parts of those bodies. This means that we can’t access how doing this or that job might contribute to an issue like lower back pain until after we start doing those.

Improper lacing technique

The star-lacing technique is a helpful way for individuals with pre-existing complaints in the lower back region to lace their footwear, avoiding this problem altogether. As seen here (and YouTube video provided).

Properly laced and supported work boots help to eliminate the pressure exerted on the belly of your foot and ankle so that you don’t needlessly bear unnecessary weight, while easing any pressure felt at your heels or arches—all areas known to be strong points of instability when standing still during prolonged periods of time such as when you’re working.

Walking incorrectly in the boots

My first thought is the answer to your question may be YES, but it still depends on why you are wearing the boots and for how long. Walking incorrectly in any shoes can cause pain and discomfort. That has nothing to do with if they’re work boots or not.

The more time one spends walking on a job site, the more likely that specific issues will arise over time as a result of that activity. It’s difficult to say what those issues might be without physically seeing you walk and observing your gait, so I would recommend consulting with an expert who specializes in this field such as a physical therapist or podiatrist before making any conclusions about potential problems linked specifically to your involvement in activities at work sites.

Insufficient arch support

Unfortunately many work boots do not provide enough arch support. Workers with flat or high arches are more prone to this, but it is possible for any worker to experience the issue. Loss of proper alignment can lead to muscle strain and injury on your feet, legs, back and neck – which is why some people feel like they’re aging faster than they should be at their age after years of walking on hard surfaces at work.

There are ways to remedy the situation. There are specific insoles that you can insert into your shoes before heading off for a full day of work. Brands such as Superfeet focus solely on foot health with an emphasis on reducing friction by absorbing shock from every step you take.

Not wearing socks with them

Wearing shoes without socks is usually more of an issue for women than men because of the shape of women’s feet. A shoe rubbing against the foot without protection can lead to callouses or even blisters on areas like toes or heels. The additional friction can also cause bunions, where the big toe points towards the other toes.


Besides causing health problems downstair, wearing shoes without socks has resulted in some people experiencing “shoe-face” too! When someone doesn’t wear socks with their footwear, they get sweat up between their feet and into their pant legs. This in turn creates a wet spot in certain spots under your eyes from wiping off sweat during the day.

Can Work Boots Cause Lower Back Pain?

Work Boots, particularly those that have a steel toe, can indeed cause lower back problems if you don’t break them in properly before wearing them. The steel toe needs to be a bit more loose than a regular boot so your toes aren’t squished and the fit has to be just right for your calf to feel supported even as you work up and down on the job site.

If those boots are too tight or beginning to cause pain from improper use, you might want to consider switching over to something more lightweight – like a nice pair of tennis shoes which offer similar protection but will keep both your feet and legs feeling better after hours on the job.

What Causes Lower Back Pain?

It depends. If low back pain is attributable to work boots, the soles may increase pressure in the feet and so result in lower back pain. But if low back pain is not due to boot wear, it’s probably a good idea to see a doctor.

Lower back pain can stem from many sources—constant lifting or just poor ergonomics at work. Shoes that don’t fit well can cause discomfort which will eventually lead to muscle soreness and stress on your spine by squeezing your foot all day long.

More intense cases of lower-back fatigue caused by footwear would likely be indicative of improperly sized shoes either too loose or too tight depending on how the shoe should feel when you try them out in store before buying them.

How to Prevent Lower Back Pain?

Lower back pain can be a difficult symptom to manage, but there are a few things you can do to reduce the intensity of your symptoms and feel better. You’ll want to take care in how you sleep at night by making sure your mattress provides good support for your back and that you’re using the right pillow.

If it’s after 8 p.m., avoid caffeine and alcohol, which have been found to relax muscles too much during sleep. In the day time, continue with regular exercise for healthy joints instead of rushing from place-to-place. Preventing lower back pain is as easy as following these tips!

How do I stop my work boots from hurting?

  1. Make sure your boots are the right size
  2. Wear socks that fit properly in your boots
  3. Keep your feet clean and dry
  4. Take breaks when you need to – don’t wear them for too long at a time without taking a break
  5. Purchase insoles if they’re available or make some yourself with extra padding inside of them
  6. Wear inserts, like orthotics, if you have any foot problems

Can a walking boot make an injury worse?

To avoid back pain from worsened injuries, it is important to ensure that the right kind of shock resistant footwear is being worn.

Injuries really need to be treated by a specialist in order to get them fully healed and this may involve requiring someone who does physical therapy for example, just so that they know what needs to happen.

Sometimes a boot or something like that can help protect the injured area but if it’s caused an injury then just because you have a boot on doesn’t mean it won’t still be changing our condition and making us feel worse.

Are heavy boots bad for your back?

No, they’re not bad for your back. According to the American Chiropractic Association lower back pain is more likely to be rooted in an underlying soft tissue disorder brought on by muscle weakness or poor spinal alignment.

Hunching over with shoulders slumped forward can cause chronic compression of the posterior cervical spine. The high heels are no better-women who wear pencil skirts report that hunching over at their desk all day means that their upper backs are sore, just above their bra line. And women walk anywhere from three to five miles every day being told by marketing gurus that this is what’s sexy–when it’s actually anything but!

Which shoes are best for lower back pain?

1) Converse high-top sneakers or a nice pair of Clarks will be your best friend. Make sure to purchase the right size and have an insole for support.
2) Avoid heels, because they put too much pressure on the front part of your foot, which is not what you need when trying to avoid back pain. Also stay away from pointed toes shoes from Tommy Hilfiger because they are even less forgiving for this issue than regular heels.
3) When possible, buy better quality shoes so that your feet can gradually mold in and wear properly in its shape with time (without having any need for expensive orthopedic inserts).

Why does my heel hurt in my work boots?

I used to get that problem with my heels when I wore court shoes all day.
The issue is that your heel sits at the edge of the actual shoe and it has trouble gripping the ground when you walk. It is also possible that two things can be happening here.

One, if there isn’t enough padding in the work boots, this will happen (meaning they need new insoles or some gel inserts), and two, if they aren’t long enough at the back of your foot, this is going to lead to blistering and pain because your toes hit before you make contact with anything for a grip. Finding a style of boot made out of leather on top rather than just rubber will help lessen accidental slips from occurring too.

Can a walking boot cause back pain?

Yes, a walking boot can cause back pain. The problem is that when you have to use the same muscle group over and over again for an extended period of time it can lead to pain, straining and injury.
That’s why a really good idea might be to alternate between a lower leg cast or brace with a knee immobilizer or stocking if your back continues to ache while wearing the boot. Basically this would allow you time off from putting pressure on one side of your body for another without having any significant functional loss or greater risk of relapse.

Can I stop wearing my walking boot?

A walking boot is almost never used for walks. It’s often advised that you use a rigid or semi-rigid, protective device only when needed.

A walking boot limits flexibility of your foot and may lead to stiffness of joints in the leg. Where stiffness of skin is not enough to protect surfaces of foot from irritating contact with ground, wear protective devices such as insoles, shoe inserts, foam padding on soft surfaces beyond room temperature range (expert), or walking boots.

Conclusion:

Work boots can cause lower back pain, but it’s also possible for any other type of shoe to make your position in the shoe uncomfortable. Feet pronate about 50% of their weight, and a heavy or poorly designed shoe will often accentuate this. Weight-bearing forces transmitted through a propped-up foot will often increase shock transmission through the lumbar spine – i.e., they may be more detrimental than otherwise expectable force on the spine if not mitigated by distinct shock absorption capabilities on both feet (i.e., good running shoes).

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