Sharp Foot Pain

It is common to hear people, complaining about foot pain that is making their life difficult. 65 - 75% of the people, living in United States of America, have suffered pain at the bottom of their foot, at least once in their lifetime. The sharp pain in foot makes even simple activities such as walking difficult and hence it must be taken seriously. Sudden sharp foot pain, which is making you wince at every step, may be an indication of a far more serious condition. A foot is concoction of body cells, blood vessels, 26 bones and 33 joints which are held in coordination, while walking or running, by ligaments and muscles groups. Add a few nerves to this concoction, which carries the messages from the brain to the foot, to completely grasp the complex structure of the foot. This makes it difficult to pinpoint the cause.

Causes of Foot Pain

The sharp pain in foot when walking can be very frustrating as it limits your mobility and your weight carrying capacity. Feet, which are small as compared to the rest of the body, take an extraordinary amount of stress during walking. This stress is 50% greater than the stress while you are standing stationary. It has been calculated that on an average, a person takes approximately 10,000 steps during the course of a day. It is a wonder that everyone doesn't suffer sharp pain in foot every day in his or her life. The pain can be because of a number of causes which are presented below.

Plantar Fasciitis
The largest bone of the foot is lined on its underside by a band of tough fibrous tissues which are referred to as plantar fascia. The plantar fasciitis is the inflammation of the plantar fascia, which helps the foot bones to bear the weight of an individual. The pain that occurs, when you take first few steps in the morning, may have plantar fasciitis as its root cause. You may describe this heel pain as in the front and bottom of heel. A characteristics of sharp pain in foot, due to the plantar fasciitis, is that it goes away as you keep walking and returns, if you let the feet rest.

Heel Spurs
The plantar fascia supports the bones of the heels and maintains the arch of the heel. The heel spurs is a bony projection that leads away from the plantar fascia into the surrounding tissues of the body. More often than not, heel spurs and plantar fasciitis together cause sharp pain in the foot. The severe foot pain experienced by you, when you put your weight on your foot, while taking first step, is because of the heel spur poking into the surrounding living mass of tissues, nerves, tendons and muscles. Your doctor may advise you to take an X-ray of the feet to detect the heel spur. The doctor may also advice you to go for a heel spurs surgery to relieve from the pain.

Bursitis
The friction between various bones and the muscles passing over them is avoided by the bursa. These are sacs filled with body fluids which acts as cushions. Bursitis is the inflammation of the bursa due to excessive rubbing of the bones or muscles with the bursa. You will feel sharp foot pain due to bursitis, while taking every step, because it involves play of all the muscles of the foot, including that between the offending muscle and the injured bursa.

Gout, foot muscle injury, Achilles tendonitis and stiffness of joints due to arthritis can also form the cause. If you are experiencing the sudden sharp pain in foot, due to heel spurs, then it is a pain you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. Get your doctor's advice and treatment as early as possible, if the symptoms are holding you immobile or captive.