If you’ve always worn the same size shoe but your sneakers and boots feel tighter now that you’re in, say, your 40s or beyond, you’re not alone.
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you → wear → 40s
People on TikTok are also sharing their experiences with growing feet as they’re getting older.
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they → share → feet
But do your feet really get bigger with age?
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feet → get → age
“Yes, but ‘bigger’ is somewhat misleading,” says Dr. Kimberly Koury, an orthopedic surgeon at Atlantic Health.
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Koury → say → Health
“Adult feet do not continue to grow in the same way they do during childhood.
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they → continue → childhood
Instead, the shape of the foot can gradually change with age.”
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shape → change → age
This can happen for a variety of reasons and cause feet to become wider, flatter, and slightly longer, she explains.
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she → happen → reasons
“Someone may notice that a shoe that fit well when they were younger now feels too tight, even though their actual foot bones have not continued to grow.”
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bones → notice → ?
Here’s what to know about why your feet may get bigger with age and what to do about it.
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feet → ’ → it
What causes feet to get bigger?
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feet → cause → ?
The main reason is that over time, your arch “flattens and spreads,” says Lesly Robinson, a podiatrist and interim dean of the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine.
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Robinson → flatten → Medicine
This is often due to decreased collagen—the protein that provides strength and elasticity to your skin, muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments—that naturally happens with age.
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that → decrease → age
This can cause the ligaments supporting your arches to become lax, Robinson says.
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Robinson → cause → arches
“When the arch falls, the foot both widens and lengthens,” adds Dr. Alexis Dixon, an orthopedic surgeon and foot and ankle specialist in Marina Del Ray, Calif.
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Dixon → fall → Ray
Another reason feet may change in shape and size is a foot deformity, like a bunion or hammertoe, which become more prevalent as you get older.
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you → change → bunion
A bunion is a bump that forms on the inside of your big toe joint, but it’s not an extra bone growth.
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it → form → joint
Instead, it’s a change in alignment, where the big toe moves toward the other toes, Koury says.
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Koury → ’ → toes
“That makes the forefoot wider and can make previously comfortable shoes feel too narrow.”
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shoes → make → ?
This can also contribute to flattening arches, Robinson says.
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Robinson → contribute → arches
Hammertoes happen when the tissue of your toes weakens, causing the muscles and tendons to buckle and curve, Dixon says.
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Dixon → happen → toes
Bunions and hammertoes can be genetic or result from wearing tight, narrow shoes over a lifetime, she says.
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she → result → lifetime
They’re more common for women.
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They → ’re → women
Arthritis is also common in feet and ankles, especially in the big-toe joint, Dixon says.
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Dixon → say → joint
It can cause bone spurs (extra growths of bone tissue) on top of the foot or at the back of the heel, which may rub against your shoe and make it feel too tight.
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it → cause → shoe
When do these changes happen, and who’s most affected?
People may notice foot changes starting in their 30s, but there’s no specific age when they happen, says Sindhu Srinivas, a podiatrist in Atlanta.
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Srinivas → happen → Atlanta
Age-related foot changes are generally more common for women, Koury says.
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Koury → relate → women
The hormonal fluctuations in pregnancy and menopause affect collagen, and years of wearing high heels or narrow or ill-fitting shoes may contribute to structural changes in the feet.
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years → affect → feet
People with previous foot injuries, flat feet or bunions (or a family history of these conditions), and a higher body weight are more at risk, Koury adds.
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Koury → add → risk
Being overweight puts pressure and stress on the feet, Srinivas says.
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Srinivas → put → feet
“Over time, this increased load can contribute to changes in the foot's supporting structures and overall biomechanics.”
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load → increase → structures
How much bigger will your feet get?
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feet → get → ?
The changes happen gradually and can affect your foot’s length, width, and arch height, Srinivas says.
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Srinivas → happen → length
But how much bigger your feet can get varies.
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get → get → ?
A study published in 2016 examined the foot measurements of 68 women aged 20 to over 80.
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study → publish → women
It found that the widths of the balls of the feet increased by 3 to 4 millimeters per decade, while ball circumferences increased by about 5 to 7 millimeters, high-step circumferences 0.4 to 4.8 millimeters, and heel instep circumferences up to 2 millimeters.
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circumferences → find → millimeters
“That may sound small, but these changes accumulate over several decades and can become enough to affect shoe fit,” Koury says.
Some people may need a wider shoe, while others might need one a half size larger, Dixon says.
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Dixon → sound → one
If your feet seem to be getting wider or longer and you’re experiencing pain, swelling, numbness, tingling, or difficulty walking or doing other activities, see your doctor, Koury says.
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Koury → seem → doctor
Also, talk to your doctor if you’re getting recurrent calluses, blisters, or skin breakdown, or if your bunions, hammertoes, or flatfoot are worsening.
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bunions → talk → calluses
Sudden foot changes, especially if they only affect one foot, should also get checked, Srinivas says.
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Srinivas → affect → foot
Pay extra attention to your feet if you have diabetes, neuropathy, or circulation problems, as even minor changes in your shoes’ fit can cause more serious problems, Koury says.
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Koury → pay → problems
…and 16 more, not listed.
The Aporia
