Foot pain

FOOT PAIN

What is foot pain?

Foot pain can occur on the top, bottom, or sides of your feet. It can affect your heel, toes, arch, and anywhere in between.

Because most of us use our feet every day, foot pain is common. But in addition to overuse, you can develop foot pain from sporting injuries, underlying health conditions, and wearing shoes that don’t fit properly.

There are several ways to treat foot pain, but it’s important to identify the underlying cause first. Once you know why your foot hurts, you can find the right solution.

Possible Causes

Several different factors can cause foot pain. General reasons why people develop foot pain include:

• Standing on your feet for prolonged periods
• Aging
• Injury or trauma
• Overuse
• Having obesity (a body mass index, or BMI, of 30 or higher)
• Wearing shoes that don’t fit properly

Causes of foot pain include sprains, strains, osteoarthritis, tendonitis, gout, plantar fasciitis, and more.

Many things can cause foot pain, including injuries and certain health conditions. Symptoms can occur anywhere on your foot.

To find the culprit, it’s a good idea to figure out where the pain is coming from. Specific types of foot pain and the most common causes of each include:

Top of foot pain

If you have pain on the top of your foot, possible causes include:

• Sprains or strains
• Osteoarthritis
• Tendonitis
• Gout

Bottom of foot pain

Pain in the bottom of your foot, including arch pain and ball of foot pain, might develop because of:

• Plantar fasciitis (commonly causes arch and heel pain)
• Morton’s neuroma
• Flat feet (fallen arches)
• Sprains or strains
• Bunions
• Corns and calluses
• Osteoarthritis
• Bursitis
• Plantar warts

Side of foot pain

Pain on the outside of your foot could indicate:

• Bursitis
• Bunions
• Peroneal tendonitis
• Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (PTTD)
• Stress fractures
• Jones fracture
• Cuboid syndrome (subluxation of the midtarsal joint)

Toe pain

• Ingrown toenail
• Bunion
• Gout
• Hammertoes
• Broken toe
• Raynaud’s syndrome

Foot heel pain

Heel pain is a common symptom of:

• Plantar fasciitis
• Achilles tendonitis
• Bursitis
• Heel fracture
• Achilles tendon rupture

Nerve pain in foot

Nerve pain might feel like a burning, tingling, or electric shock sensation. Nerve pain in your foot could indicate:

• Burning feet syndrome
• Baxter’s neuropathy
• Tarsal tunnel syndrome
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Sciatica
• Diabetes-related neuropathy

How is foot pain treated?

Foot pain treatment depends on the cause and severity of your symptoms.