“Ozempic Feet”: What We Know About Shoe Fit, Foot Pain, Exercise and Plantar Fat Pads

By Amanda Boike Fitness If your shoes suddenly feel roomier after substantial weight loss, it is reasonable to wonder whether your feet have changed too. Online, that experience has acquired a catchy name: “Ozempic feet.” The term is useful for describing what people are noticing, but it is not a medical diagnosis, and it implies a more specific explanation than research currently supports.

Significant weight loss can change shoe fit and the amount of pressure placed beneath the foot. The foot also contains specialized fat pads that help cushion the heel and forefoot. What has not been established is that semaglutide directly depletes those fat pads or routinely causes foot pain. Current Ozempic prescribing information lists nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and constipation as the most common adverse reactions; foot pain, shrinking feet, and plantar fat-pad loss are not among them. That does not prove a rare foot problem could never occur, but it does mean “Ozempic feet” should not be treated as an established medication side effect.

For the broader distinction between fat loss, lean-mass changes, muscle, and visible body changes during GLP-1 treatment, see GLP-1 Body Changes and Muscle Loss Prevention.

Does foot pain mean Ozempic changed your feet?

No. Foot pain still needs to be interpreted as foot pain.

Heel fat-pad syndrome can be one cause. Plantar fasciopathy, nerve irritation, stress injuries, footwear problems, and other conditions can also produce pain in the heel or forefoot. In the limited heel fat-pad literature, pain near the center or margins of the heel, pain that worsened with prolonged standing, and discomfort while barefoot were among features used to distinguish suspected fat-pad syndrome from plantar fasciopathy. The evidence is not strong enough to turn those features into a self-diagnosis.

There is even some preliminary evidence running counter to the idea that semaglutide broadly causes heel pain. A 2025 study of semaglutide use and chronic plantar heel pain followed people with pre-existing chronic plantar heel pain and found greater improvements in pain and function among semaglutide users than controls. The study also included a small 30-person, uncontrolled semaglutide intervention. Those designs are not strong enough to establish semaglutide as a treatment for plantar heel pain, but they certainly do not support a simple story in which semaglutide damages the heel.

The useful question, then, is not “Do I have Ozempic feet?” It is what changed and whether it is causing a problem. A loose shoe with a comfortable, normally functioning foot is quite different from persistent heel pain, numbness, swelling, or an altered walking pattern.

For someone with diabetes, new foot problems deserve particular attention. The American Diabetes Association recommends ongoing foot assessment because neuropathy can reduce protective sensation, and unexplained swelling, warmth, redness, wounds, or loss of sensation may require prompt evaluation.

Do you have to stop running or jumping on a GLP-1?

There is no evidence-based rule that people taking semaglutide need to stop impact exercise because the medication makes their feet fragile.

If you run, dance, hike, or jump comfortably, the existence of the phrase “Ozempic feet” is not a reason to remove those activities. The foot-loading study described earlier actually found lower plantar pressures after weight loss, without a detectable deterioration in gait.

Pain changes the decision; an activity that repeatedly produces heel or forefoot pain deserves modification while you figure out what is irritated, whether the shoe still fits, and whether evaluation is needed. That is different from assuming the medication itself has made impact unsafe.

You can also continue challenging the rest of your body while temporarily choosing exercises that place less demand on an uncomfortable foot. Mat-based presses, rows, bridges, and other low-impact strength exercises can provide meaningful muscular work without relying on running or repeated jumping.

Safe exercises for someone experiencing foot discomfort while on a weight management prescription

Once the cause of pain has been assessed and any restrictions are clear, exercises that reduce standing and foot pressure may help keep general strength work in the week. Suitability depends on the position, the movement and getting into and out of it. The following two exercises are options to consider within those restrictions.

For a seated dumbbell curl, sit on a stable chair with your back supported and feet resting comfortably. Hold light dumbbells beside your body, bend your elbows to bring them upward, then lower with control. Keep the torso still and avoid pushing through the feet to help lift the weights.

A supported floor press offers a lying position for chest and arm work. Lie on your back with your lower legs resting on a sturdy chair if that is comfortable. With a light dumbbell in each hand, begin with the upper arms on the floor and forearms upright. Press above the chest, then lower slowly until the upper arms meet the floor. Use this option only when the floor transfer and setup are also manageable. For more on chest and upper-back training during weight loss, read our guide to upper-body strength after GLP-1 weight loss.

As a general starting example, perform the curl exercise first, followed by the press exercise: one set of 8–12 controlled repetitions each, twice weekly on nonconsecutive days. Rest 60–90 seconds between exercises and choose resistance that leaves several repetitions available. After several comfortable sessions, add a second set, resting 60–90 seconds between sets. Increase resistance gradually when the repetitions are easy to control. Stop a movement that brings on or increases foot pain.

A short foot-and-ankle routine for general conditioning

For comfortable feet, small exercises can add deliberate practice for ankle movement, toe strength and balance. A 2025 systematic review of ankle and foot exercises found improvements in strength used to push through the forefoot and in balance with the eyes open among older adults. The evidence was rated very low to low quality, and the review did not establish fewer falls. A separate review of foot-muscle strengthening in adults aged 65 and older reported possible strength and balance benefits, with varied methods across studies. These reviews do not validate the following routine for GLP-1 users or for treating foot discomfort.

This general example is for a beginner or returning exerciser without current foot pain, reduced sensation, an active wound, or a restriction affecting these movements. If any of those apply, get individual guidance before using it. Allow approximately 8–12 minutes, including setup and rest. Begin twice weekly on nonconsecutive days; a third session can be added when you recover comfortably. Someone already training regularly can incorporate suitable exercises into an existing plan.

Start with ankle circles

Sitting in a chair, lift one foot slightly from the floor and slowly move the ankle through five circles in each direction. Repeat on the other side.

Keep the movement comfortable rather than trying to produce the largest possible circle. This is a mobility exercise, not strength work, so there is no need to make it fatiguing.

Add seated towel curls

Place the front of a bare foot on a towel. Keeping the heel down, use the toes to gather a small section of towel toward you, then relax them before the next repetition.

Perform 1–2 sets of 8–12 slow gathers per foot, resting about 30 seconds between sets. The toes should be working without cramping or provoking heel pain. If the exercise is unfamiliar, begin with one set.

Follow with supported calf raises

Stand facing a countertop or sturdy chair and use your hands for balance. Rise onto the balls of both feet, pause briefly at the top, then lower with control.

Complete 2 sets of 8–15 repetitions, resting about 60 seconds. The last few repetitions can feel challenging, but the movement should remain controlled and pain-free. Once 15 repetitions are comfortable for both sets, a light dumbbell is one way to increase the challenge.

Finish with supported single-leg balance

Stand beside a countertop so your hand is immediately available. Shift onto one foot and lightly lift the other.

Hold for 20–30 seconds per side, twice, with roughly 30 seconds between attempts. Use as much fingertip support as necessary to remain steady. Progress by gradually using less hand assistance rather than closing your eyes or moving onto an unstable surface.

If any of these drills reproduce the pain you are trying to investigate, that is a reason to stop the drill rather than push through it. The appropriate rehabilitation exercise depends on what is actually causing the pain.

What should you do if your old shoes suddenly feel loose?

Begin with the shoe itself. Weight-loss research gives us enough evidence to believe that fit can change, even though it does not tell us exactly which tissues are responsible. A shoe that now allows the heel to slide or the foot to shift substantially may simply need to be replaced or professionally refitted.

Then pay attention to function. If the foot is comfortable and you can walk, exercise, and go about the day normally, a change in shoe size does not necessarily represent a medical problem. If pain has appeared, especially if it persists or changes the way you walk, identifying the source is more useful than assuming the internet label explains it. For lower-body exercise ideas, see our guide to glute training after GLP-1 weight loss.

This is also consistent with the larger picture of GLP-1-related body changes: visible or dimensional change does not automatically tell us what happened to the underlying tissue. The useful next step depends on whether the issue is shoe fit, cushioning, muscle strength, pain, or some combination of them.

For strength training, there is no need to turn that uncertainty into inactivity. ABF Online provides 30-minute at-home strength workouts, two-, three-, and four-day weekly options, simple equipment, and joint-conscious exercise that does not rely on jumping or racing through movements.

If having the training organized for you would make strength work easier to maintain, you can explore ABF Online.

References

1. Novo Nordisk. (2026). Ozempic prescribing information. Revised May 2026.

2. Şen O, Türkçapar AG, Yerdel MA. (2017). The effects of sleeve gastrectomy on shoe size one year after surgery. Turkish Journal of Surgery, 33:284–287. DOI: 10.5152/UCD.2017.3584.

3. Song J, et al. (2015). Weight loss, foot structure and function: pilot randomized trial. Gait & Posture, 41:86–92. DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2014.08.013.

4. Maemichi T, et al. (2020). The relationship of heel fat pad thickness with age and physiques in Japanese. Clinical Biomechanics, 80:105110. DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2020.105110.

5. Chang AH, et al. (2022). Heel fat-pad syndrome: scoping review. Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, 15:60. DOI: 10.1186/s13047-022-00568-x.

6. Yang F, et al. (2025). Semaglutide and chronic plantar heel pain: observational cohort and pilot intervention. International Journal of Surgery, 111:9333–9341. DOI: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000003156.

7. American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee for Diabetes. (2026). Retinopathy, Neuropathy, and Foot Care: Standards of Care in Diabetes. Diabetes Care, 49(Suppl 1):S261–S276. DOI: 10.2337/dc26-S012.

8. Liang SG, et al. (2025). Ankle and foot exercises in older people: systematic review and meta-analysis. Physical Therapy, 105:pzae157. DOI: 10.1093/ptj/pzae157.

9. Futrell EE, Roberts D, Toole E. (2022). Intrinsic foot-muscle strengthening and functional mobility in older adults: systematic review. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 70:531–540. DOI: 10.1111/jgs.17541.