During pregnancy, the impact of weight gain is compounded by the effect of hormones. There is (during pregnancy) an increase in three hormones circulating through a woman’s body — relaxin, oestrogen and progesterone — which soften the muscles and ligaments in preparation for childbirth; making mothers-to-be more flexible.
Problems may arise for women who have a mild to moderate degree of overpronation before pregnancy. The added looseness of the ligaments allows the feet to roll in even more than previously. As a result, the feet may spread, elongate, flatten or even precipitate bunions and other foot alignment problems.
If you or a loved one is pregnant now be sure to look at their feet and offer proper guidance. If they’re very pregnant they may not have even seen their feet in a while and you’d be doing them a big service to refer them to us at Affiliated Podiatrists.