You pull a favorite pair of shoes out of the closet, slip them on, and something's off. They used to fit perfectly. Now they feel snug or pinch in new places. It's tempting to think your feet are still growing, but that doesn't quite add up for an adult.
Here's the short answer: the bones in your feet stop growing when you finish growing as a teenager. What can change later in life is the shape of the foot. The arches are held up by ligaments and tendons, and over the years they can sag. Doctors recognize arch flattening as something that can happen as part of the normal aging process, and a flatter foot can fit shoes differently.
Bones Stop, but Feet Keep Changing
Long bones grow at spots called growth plates. In adults, those plates have fused into solid bone. For girls, this most often happens around 14 or 15, and for boys around 15 to 17. After that, the bones themselves don't get any longer.
But a foot is much more than its bones. Each one has 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than a hundred muscles, tendons, and ligaments. That's a lot of moving parts that can loosen, stretch, or wear over decades of walking.
The Arch Is the Key
The arches of your foot work like a built-in spring. They're formed by bones and held in shape by strong ligaments and tendons, including a tendon called the tibialis posterior that helps brace the inner arch. Together, they let the foot carry the body's weight.
When that support weakens, the arch can sink. Flat feet, also called fallen arches, means the arch collapses so that nearly the whole sole touches the ground. People can develop it as adults because of injury, illness, long-term stress on the foot, or simply as part of normal aging. It's most common in women over 40.
One of the most common causes of adult flatfoot is a problem with that tibialis posterior tendon. In later stages, the arch collapses, the ankle rolls inward, and the toes may flare out. Uneven wear on shoes can be an early clue. Risk factors include obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Pregnancy Can Change Feet Too
Many women notice their feet change during pregnancy. The body becomes more elastic during that time, and this can lead to flatter feet. Once flat feet develop in adulthood, they generally stay that way.
Pregnancy can affect the feet as well. During pregnancy, the body's tissues become more elastic, and this can lead to flatter feet. Once flat feet develop in adulthood, they generally stay that way.
There's an easy, old-fashioned way to check your arches. Wet your feet and stand on a smooth surface like concrete or a piece of heavy paper. The more of your sole that leaves a print, the flatter your foot. A foot with a normal or high arch leaves a gap along the inner edge.
If your feet hurt, swell, or seem to be changing shape quickly, talk to your doctor. Foot pain isn't something you have to just live with, and there are many treatments available.
So if your shoes feel different than they used to, it isn't your imagination. Your feet have carried you a very long way, and a little extra room in your next pair is a fair reward for all that work.
