Summer footwear can lead to foot and ankle pain in the fall

While the transition from summer to fall brings colorful leaves and trips to the pumpkin patch, it can also bring about foot and ankle pain.

As the seasons change, so does the footwear. The switch can reveal problems created over time by a lack of support.

Dr. Vandan Patel, an orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon for Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, said some patients develop foot and ankle pain in the fall from wearing less supportive shoes like sandals and flip-flops in the summer.

Often, women's shoes can be narrow, pointy and flat — lacking support and squeezing their feet.

"As we transition into fall wear, usually closed-toe shoes sometimes can be constricting. Patients will complain of issues that have developed over the summer from those less supportive shoes, such as plantar-fas