Ten Miles a Day: What Delivery Work Does to Feet and Knees

What the body does: miles of walking daily, often with a one-shouldered satchel or repeatedly loading and unloading. Constant in-and-out of a vehicle. Curbs, steps, uneven ground, in all weather.

Where it shows up: feet, ankles, knees, low back, and the carrying-side shoulder and neck.

Why it happens: the volume of walking alone is significant, and it's on hard surfaces in work footwear. A satchel on one shoulder loads the body asymmetrically for hours. The repeated step up and down out of a vehicle is a high-frequency movement most people never think of as loading — and delivery routes have gotten denser, not lighter.

Worth naming: foot and ankle complaints in this group often refer upward. The knee or hip pain frequently starts at the ground.