Your Shoe Size Can Change as You Age. Here's Why

—Photo-Illustration by TIME (Source Image: Olga Yastremska—Getty Images) 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 ? “Yes, but ‘bigger’ is somewhat misleading,” says Dr.

Kimberly Koury, an orthopedic surgeon at Atlantic Health.

“Adult feet do not continue to grow in the same way they do during childhood.

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.

“Someone may notice that a shoe that fit well when they were younger now feels too tight, even though their actual foot bones have not continued to grow.” Here’s what to know about why your feet may get bigger with age and what to do about it.

What causes feet to get bigger? 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.

“When the arch falls, the foot both widens and lengthens,” adds Dr.

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.