Women Wearing Flats Are at 50 Percent Increased Risk of Low Back Pain

In the study the researchers examined 1,930 men and women with pronated feet that tend to roll inward while walking. This generally happens to women with lower back ache. The participating women were of average age 60.

"The key takeaway from the study is that if women have low back pain, it may not be just the back," said Marian Hannan of the Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew Senior Life in Boston. "It turns out that feet are important for the back."

Approximately 38 percent of the women in the study reported lower back pain.

According to the study, the lower back aches because the body uses other muscles to help make up for flat feet while walking. It further explained that the foot is used in different ways during standing and walking.

Women probably don't know if their foot function contributes to low back pain, but they can find out about it by seeing a physiotherapist.

People with low back pain can also reduce the ache by scrunching their toes on a towel spread on a flat surface for a period of time.