Foot pain

Pain in one or both feet can be severe, and affect your ability to walk.

What are some of the cause of pain in the foot?

• Causes of pain at the back of the foot:

  • Plantar fasciitis
    • Inflammation of the tough tissue covering at the bottom of your feet
  • Bony spurs
    • Abnormal bone growths
    • More common in people who are flat-footed or have a high arch
    • Can be due to wrong footwear, or an abnormal gait
  • Fat pad inflammation
    • It is a ‘bruise’ that is felt deep to the heel or the ball of the foot
    • Usually caused by the impact of jumping
    • Feels like you are walking on a pebble
  • Bone fracture
    • Usually more painful and disabling, unless it is just a ‘hairline’ fracture

• Causes of pain over the ball of the foot:

  • Morton’s neuroma
    • Abnormal thickening of the tissue surround the nerves to the toes
    • Can have pain and numbness
    • More common in women, and can be a result of wearing ill-fitted shoes and high heels
  • Sesamoiditis
    • Inflammation of the sesamoid bones which are 2 small bones attached only by tendons near the big toe
    • Common in runners and ballet dancers
  • Metatarsalgia
    • Inflammation of the bones called ‘metatarsal’
    • Usually as a result from strenuous activities

• Causes of pain over the arch of your foot

  • Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause
  • Flat foot aka fallen arch

• Causes of pain in the toes

  • Bunions
    • Bony prominence typically over edge of the big toe
  • Hammer-toe
    • Usually from muscle imbalance or ill-fitted footwear
    • Middle joint of the 2/3/4th toe buckles upwards
  • Gout
    • Deposition of uric acid crystals at weight-bearing joints commonly lead to pain
    • Typically over the big toe
  • Claw-toe
    • Toe flexes downwards and is unable to extend or straighten
    • Usually due to diabetes or nerve damage
  • Turf-toe
    • A form of sesamoiditis
    • Pain felt beneath the big toe
  • Arthritis
    • Can affect any toe, but usually over the big toe
    • Pain and stiffness 
    • Due to wear and tear of the joint
  • Others
    • Corns and calluses

• Pain in the whole foot:

  • Diabetes or other conditions that cause nerve damage
  • Chemotherapy
    • Unfortunately, chemotherapy can affect nerves anywhere in the body
    • Typically, the smaller nerves in the hands and feet are affected
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Tendinitis: 
    • inflammation of multiple tendons
    • usually related to injury or activity

What are the treatment options for plantar fasciitis?

• Rest
• Stretching exercises
• Simple medications
• Steroid injections 
• PRP injections
• Pulse radiofrequency of the irritated nerves 
• Surgery