Foot Pain - What Do Your Symptoms Mean?

Human foot consists of 26 bones which form two arches. The arch which lies along the length of the foot is known as the longitudinal arch and the arch which lies along the width of the foot is known as the transverse arch. The fibrous tissues, known as ligaments, hold the bones together along with another tough tissue known as the plantar fascia. The internal muscles which are inside the foot or the external muscles which connect the foot with the lower part of the leg, along with the fat pads in the foot help the foot to bear the weight of the body. These also help in absorbing the impact of weight, during weight bearing activities like jumping or jogging. Ankles, heels, arches, sole, toes or base are the main parts of feet. Foot pain is experienced due to an injury to any of these parts.

Symptoms that Accompany Foot Pain

Walking, standing, running, jogging, climbing, swimming (activities that involve leg activity) may lead to foot pain. It may not affect your performance every time; but neglecting the pain in the injured foot over an extended period may worsen the situation. Severe and sustained pain may not allow you to perform your daily activities. Nature and severity of foot pain and the accompanying symptoms may vary from person to person. The pain can be experienced in different parts of the foot.

• Piercing pain in the ball of the foot.
• Sustained pain around the toes.
• Constant foot heel pain, which gets worse while bearing weight.
• Pain while wearing high-heeled shoes.
• Standing, walking or running is painful.
• Pain in the joints.
• Stiffening of the joints
• Reduced flexibility of the joint.
• Unstable or inwardly twisted ankle.
• Pain while stretching the arch.
• Difficulty in stabilizing the body when on feet.
• Reddening or discoloring of the skin around the injured part.
• A stabbing, tingling or burning pain or numbness in the foot.
• Swelling of the foot or of some part of the foot.
• Painful protrusion at the base of the toes.
• Hammertoes or curled toes, appearing like claws.
• Corns or calluses at the base of the toes.
• Bursitis or inflamed bursal sacs.
• Fungal and bacterial infection causing fever and chills.
• A nodule or lump in the plantar fascia and pain and tenderness over the plantar fascia.

Causes of Foot Pain

• Gout: Gout symbolizes increased level of uric acid in blood. This excessive uric acid gets accumulated around the joints, ligaments and tendons which leads to extreme pain in the joints, stiffness and swelling of the joint.
• Bursitis: Bursitis of the heel, base or toes, or bursitis on the sides of the foot in the area of a bunion, is due to the inflamed bursal sacs and this inflammation causes extreme pain in the affected foot.
• Arthritis: Arthritis leads to reduced flexibility of the joints, leading to pain during the movement of the joint. Walking becomes difficult in such conditions due to acute pain.
• Diabetes: Diabetes can lead to damaged nerve and affect blood circulation. Diabetic people may have achy and weak muscles in the thighs and feet, which in turn leads to pain in the feet.
• Fracture: Bone fracture is one the major foot pain causes.
• Sprain: When the fibers of the tissue tear, due to overstretched ligaments, a sprain occurs and a sprain is known to cause extreme pain.
• Muscle Injury: Overloading, overuse, over-stretching or bruising of the muscles and tendons of the foot, may lead to severe pain in the foot and this may also lead to swelling, tenderness and functional problem in the foot.
• Plantar Fasciitis: Planter fascia strains are generally felt as the pain at the bottom of the foot. This condition is known as plantar fasciitis.
• Wrong Shoes: Wearing of narrow toed shoes, may lead to the development of bunion, a big or hard and painful protrusion at the base of the big toe, causing pain in the foot.
• Flat Feet: Fallen arches are commonly known as 'flat feet'. Flat feet problems might lead to constant foot pain.
• Plantar Warts: Plantar warts are developed due to excessive pressure on the soles and they can be very painful.
• Hammer Toes: Hammer or curled toes are often the cause of severe pain as it occurs due to contraction of the muscles.
• Calluses and Corns: Calluses on the balls or heels of the feet and corns on the toes can be very painful.
• Other Causes: Aging, being overweight, using poor-fitting shoes and ingrown toe nails, are some of the other common foot pain causes.

Home Remedies for Foot Pain

• Applying ice on the affected area reduces swelling as well as pain.
• Keeping the foot in an elevated position, helps a lot.
• Restriction or reduction of activities until there is no foot pain, is the best home remedy.
• Avoid placing the feet in water for a long time.
• To prevent the rubbing and irritation of the painful parts of the foot, you can use foot pads in the areas of friction.
• Do not wear shoes that cause pain.
• Soaking the feet in warm water helps a lot in relieving the pain.
• For fractures, a long rest period is essential. Crutches may help relieve the pressure on the leg.
• Uric acid is produced by breaking the purines in the food. Purine free diet is suggested to avoid gout. Alcohol should also be avoided.

Along with the above mentioned remedies, you can take pain killers for one or two days. But, if you are diabetic or if you have severe, sustained pain or any kind of deformity or wound in the foot and the foot is not responding to the home care treatment, you should immediately consult a physician. After proper examination, the physician may prescribe medications and may design the course of the treatment according to the severity of the symptoms. Performing warm-up and cool-down exercises, while following a workout program is very essential if you want to prevent foot pain. Foot is the foundation of the human body, it bears the weight of the body. Feet provide the basic liberty of moving around freely. Frequent foot pain might lead to an embarrassing situation of relying on someone else for daily activities. You can enjoy an active and healthy life if your feet are strong and fit. So, you should never ignore foot pain. Try to find out the cause of the pain and consult your physician immediately for proper treatment.