Pregnant Feet Swelling Causes Permanent Foot Size Increase

Women’s feet swelling during pregnancy may not go away after they give birth, confirms a new study. What can you do about it?

Feet swelling while pregnant? It's a common problem for women during pregnancy, but new research brings the bad news that larger shoes may be necessary long after delivery.

Women often report flat feet while pregnant, a symptom that is probably caused by the extra baby weight bearing down to flatten the arches of the feet and increase feet size.

A new study published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation confirms that the swelling and loss of arch height that comes with pregnancy can be permanent, with the increase in foot size lasting long after pregnancy.

"I had heard women reporting changes in their shoe size with pregnancy, but found nothing about that in medical journals or textbooks," said Dr. Neil Segal, associate professor of orthopaedics and rehabilitation at the University of Iowa, in a statement.

Segal decided to scientifically measure the feet swelling of pregnant women in the first trimester of their pregnancy, and then five months after they gave birth. "We found that pregnancy does indeed lead to permanent changes in the feet." The study, supported by the American Geriatrics Society and the National Institute on Aging, included 49 pregnant women, collecting arch measurements at both time points before and after they gave birth.

The results showed that for between 60 and 70 percent of the women, swelling led to longer and wider feet five months after they gave birth. The average foot arch and arch rigidity of the women decreased markedly after they gave birth, causing a 2-10 millimeter increase in foot length and arch drop five months after being pregnant.

Feet swelling is likely to be greatest for women after a first pregnancy. The study findings suggest that second, third, or later pregnancies do not alter foot size much more than it increases the first time.

This study is corroborated by other experts. Dr. Bret Ribosky, president of the American College of Foot and Ankle Orthopedics and Medicine, told Parenting.com that a woman's foot size can increase by a half size or more during pregnancy.

"The same hormones that are released to relax the pelvic area also loosen the ligaments in the foot," said Ribotsky. "In addition, the increased body weight of pregnancy lowers the arches, further adding to the foot's length and width."
It's important for women to accept the growth of their shoe size while pregnant. Swelling feet should not be forced into uncomfortable shoes.

"Too-tight shoes weaken the muscles in the ball of the foot and the ligaments that hold the toes straight," Dr. Ronald Smith, associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, told Parenting. "And that can set the stage for foot problems."

Aside from feet swelling, those foot problems while pregnant can include ingrown nails, corns caused by pressure from tight shoes, and bunions, which are bumps at the base of the big toe that grow with friction from shoes. Higher heels mean a higher likelihood for foot problems later on.

In future research, Segal hopes to follow up with the 49 women in this study to see whether the changes in their feet size can lead to musculoskeletal problems like arthritis as they age.

"We know that women, and especially women who have had children, are disproportionately affected by musculoskeletal disorders," he said. Segal expects that foot size swelling can help explain why pregnant women are at a higher risk of developing arthritis pain in their feet, knees, hips, and spines later on. He plans to conduct further work on possible rehabilitation measures to prevent pregnancy-related arch drop.

The takeaway: pregnant feet swelling can lead to a permanently larger shoe size, and it's important to wear comfortable shoes during and after pregnancy in order to avoid foot problems later in life.

Kim Kardashian buys first flats: 'So uncomfortable!'

The pregnant reality star loves her high heels.

Kim Kardashian, out and about to promote her newTyler Perry's Temptation movie, hid her bump under a poufy, short beige dress as she visited Live with Kelly and Michael today. Kristin Chenoweth, who was filling in for Kelly Ripa, asked about her maternity outfits and why there's so much chatter about the reality star's pregnancy style.

"My sister Kourtney warned me when I wasn't pregnant," said Kim. "She said all of the criticism you get when you're pregnant or a new mom is insane. Just wait." She went on to say, "I wore this black leather skirt the other day. People are like why are you wearing black? Are you ashamed? Are you trying to hide it? It was tight! I was trying to show the bump. (They said) You're trying to suffocate the baby. I had this maternity skirt made for me, like specially!"
She added, "Everything I do it seems to be crazy."

What's really crazy is what she said next: "I just bought my first pair of flats the other day. And I wore them. They are SO uncomfortable. Like, my heels are so comfortable," she said, acknowledging that at 5-feet-2 she likes the added height.

When Chenoweth noted the beautiful high heels she was wearing on the show, Kardashian admitted, "My foot is so swollen. I will say. It really is. And I'm sad. You know, 'cuz all my shoes doen't really fit me anymore. But I heard it goes back. Hopefully."

Lakers trainer: Kobe aiming for start of season return

So much for all that premature talk about Kobe Bryant retiring.

The morning after the Achilles tendon pop heard 'round Laker Nation, team trainer Gary Vitti said the timetable for Bryant's return is six to nine months and that he is aiming to return for the start of the 2013-14 regular season.
"That's the plan," Vitti said, according to the team's Twitter account.

Bryant, who shared his deepest thoughts on the matter by way of Facebook late Friday night, tweeted a picture of his MRI today as well.

Vitti, who is in his 30th season with the team, said Bryant suffered a third-degree rupture of the tendon. Surgery is scheduled for today at 1 p.m.

Vitti was also quick to dispute the much talked-about notion that Bryant's excessive playing time may have led to the injury.

"Some of its just bad luck," Vitti said. "The stuff out there about Kobe… to say he was injured because he played 48 (minutes) is a stretch."

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak was also quick to address questions about whether the team might use its amnesty clause on Bryant's contract, saying it was something that had not been discussed. If they didn't anticipate him playing for most of next season, it would be a way to preserve $30.4 million in salary cap space while planning for his possible re-signing when he becomes a free agent in summer 2014. Bryant would still be paid on his contract.

Bryant averaged 45.6 minutes in the last seven games, with the Lakers going 6-1 and Bryant averaging 28.9 points (42.4% shooting), 8.4 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 3.4 turnovers. The Lakers, who are one game up on Utah for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference but don't have the tiebreaker with the Jazz, still have a playoff push to finish without Bryant.

They host San Antonio on Sunday and then host Houston on Wednesday in the regular-season finale. The Jazz play at Minnesota on Monday and at Memphis on Wednesday.

EVERYTHING THAT'S GONE WRONG FOR THE LAKERS IN 2012-13

What Kobe's probable Achilles tear means for his future

Kobe Bryant was in no mood to answer the only question that mattered, and no one — not even a Boston Celtics fan — could blame him.

Yet as the Los Angeles Lakers star stood there in the Staples Center locker room with teary eyes discussing his night of ill fortune, how he heard his Achilles tendon pop late in the fourth quarter and how this was the toughest moment of his transcendent career, the question eventually came.

"So this isn't the last game that we'll see you play?" a reporter asked after the Lakers downed Golden State to keep their playoff hopes alive.

"Really? Really?" he shot back before making light of the moment.
Yes, Kobe, this is really happening.

Bryant will have an MRI on Saturday to, as the Lakers put it in the news release, "confirm the diagnosis" before later having surgery. The timing, make no mistake, couldn't be more torturous for the 34-year-old who had hinted so many times next season would likely be his last. As one could predict when it comes to Bryant, he hardly sounded like someone who was entertaining the notion that this could be the end.

"(I was) upset and dejected and thinking about this mountain, man, to overcome," he told reporters. "I mean this is a long process. I wasn't sure I could do it. Then your kids walk in, and you're like, 'You know, I've got to set an example. Daddy's going to be fine. I'm going to do it.'

"I can hear (the doubters) already, and it's pissing me off right now thinking about it."
Beyond the fact that the Lakers will now attempt to sneak into the playoffs without him, there's the reality that — based on a brutal body of evidence from NBA players in the past — he may not return until midway through the season that was his supposed swan song. As the Miami Heat's LeBron James tweeted late Friday night, Bryant has played through so much pain that a comeback wouldn't surprise.

But given that Bryant is as diligent a worker and quick a healer as there is in the professional sports world, it's not a matter of whether he can come back as much as it is whether there will be any ripple effect of the injury on his retirement plans. Or, for that matter, the Lakers plans as they pertain to him.

Bryant has one season left on his contract (worth $30.4 million), and would likely return just as the Lakers are facing a free agency period in the summer of 2014 that could have the likes of King James himself on the market. What's more, one has to wonder how center and free-agent-to-be Dwight Howard will assess his situation with this drastically-changed Lakers landscape. Before Bryant's injury, all signs had been pointing to Howard wanting to re-sign with the Lakers.

According to Dr. Asheesh Bedi on the website, SportsMD.com, the typical return from an Achilles tear and surgery is between six and nine months. Bryant mentioned during his postgame discussion with reporters that he'll be doing homework on athletes who have suffered an Achilles tear and, one can assume, proceed to push his way back faster than every man and woman on that list. His goal going forward should be to channel his inner Dominique Wilkins.

As documented in a comprehensive study of Achilles injuries in the NBA by analyst Kevin Pelton (who's now with ESPN), the Atlanta Hawks star tore his Achilles at the age of 32, then returned to play his way onto two more All-Star teams before retiring at the age of 39. The what-not-to-do blueprint comes courtesy of Detroit Pistons great Isiah Thomas, who was forced into early retirement at the age of 32 after tearing his Achilles. More recently, Los Angeles Clippers guard Chauncey Billups, who was 35 at the time, returned 10 months after tearing his Achilles on Feb. 8, 2012.