[pct-l] Permanent physical changes from LD hike?

[tramsey@emotech.com (Tim Ramsey)]

In postings to this list, some hikers reported that their thru hike
permanently flattened their feet (perhaps because of inappropriate footwear
for the weight they were carrying?).

I'm interested to know other permanent physical changes that might be
attributed to LD hikes.  This would exclude loss of fat, increased
endurance, etc. that are not really permanent.

Is it possible that one's body would react to the long term physical
stresses of a thru hike by stabilizing at a higher weight after the hike
than before?  Sort of like the body saying "I'm not going to get caught with
low reserves like *that* again".  Suppose this would be more apparent if the
LD hike were more of a one-time event.  Anyone encounter this?

Tim