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. People on TikTok are also sharing their experiences with growing feet as they’re getting older. But do your feet really get bigger with age?
Kimberly Koury, an orthopedic surgeon at Atlantic Health. Instead, the shape of the foot can gradually change with age.” This can happen for a variety of reasons and cause feet to become wider, flatter, and slightly longer, she explains. 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.
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. This can cause the ligaments supporting your arches to become lax, Robinson says. Alexis Dixon, an orthopedic surgeon and foot and ankle specialist in Marina Del Ray, Calif.
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. A bunion is a bump that forms on the inside of your big toe joint, but it’s not an extra bone growth. Instead, it’s a change in alignment, where the big toe moves toward the other toes, Koury says.
Hammertoes happen when the tissue of your toes weakens, causing the muscles and tendons to buckle and curve, Dixon says. Bunions and hammertoes can be genetic or result from wearing tight, narrow shoes over a lifetime, she says. They’re more common for women.
Arthritis is also common in feet and ankles, especially in the big-toe joint, Dixon says. 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. 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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