How You Can Fix Those Aching Feet

3. Skin 

Slower nail growth and a weakening immune system can lead to pesky nail fungus, athlete's foot, cracked skin or nail trauma — the last often a result of jamming your feet in and out of shoes. As you move into your late 60s and 70s, your skin thins out and the fat pads on the bottom of your feet and under the balls of your feet also thin, says Emily Splichal, a New York-based podiatrist. Walking with little padding can be painful, she notes. If you have mobility issues, simply reaching your feet can become difficult; a lack of foot hygiene can exacerbate other problems.

4. Nerves 

Foot sensitivity declines as we age, making it more difficult for your body to determine how hard you're striking the ground or whether you're walking on an uneven surface, putting you at risk of falls. Researchers have found that by age 70 your feet need twice as much stimulation for your brain to sense it, Splichal says.

The Solutions

Weight gain in our middle years can trigger foot issues, and since problems in the knees, hips and shoulders can also pop up as foot pain (and vice versa), it's not worth playing a guessing game. Just as you'd go to the dentist for a toothache, seek out a podiatrist (DPM) if you're suffering foot pain. Look for someone who is affiliated with a podiatry or medical school and who specializes in nonsurgical interventions, says Positano.

Meanwhile, these five steps can help you build happy feet.

1. Be a shoe snob

Up to 72 percent of people wear shoes that don't fit. That's in part because your arches can drop as you age, lengthening your feet. In older people, wearing shoes that are too narrow has been linked with corns, bunions and pain; shorter shoes are linked with other deformities such as hammer toe and claw toe.

2. Get on your feet

The more you sit, the more you deactivate your glute muscles — and proper foot function requires strong glutes, hips and abs, Splichal says. Exercises like hip bridges and planks encourage not only tummy work and hip extension (counterposes for sitting), but also help you practice getting up and down from the floor — something research has correlated with longevity.

3. Fight fire with food

Inflammation can play a role in foot pain. For an anti-inflammatory effect, fill up on omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids via nuts, seeds, legumes, vegetables, fruits, olive oil and fish. A happy consequence: Mediterranean-type diets have been linked with reduced body weight, which can reduce force on the foot, relieving pain.

4. Go barefoot

The nerves on the bottom of your feet are even more receptive than those on your hands — but stuffing your feet into shoes all day deprives them of the sensory stimulation they need to help your body move. Barefoot exercise such as yoga and Pilates, and walking around barefoot at home, can help.

5. Play ball

Rolling your foot on a lacrosse or golf ball for five minutes a day provides the stimulation your foot craves, improving stability and mobility by releasing tendons and fascial connections, says New York–based trainer Michael Ryan.

Cassie Shortsleeve is the former executive editor of Shape.com.