Causes and Symptoms of Pain in the Foot
Foot pain can cause immense discomfort. While foot pain usually just requires a good few hours of relaxations and rest to fade away, sometimes it persists for a long period of time for no evident reason. In this scenario, one must consider that there is a possibility of an underlying condition which is causing the pain. You may experience several symptoms before the onset of a particular condition, or experience no symptoms at all. Some of the most common causes of foot pain include bunions, heel spurs, and plantar fasciitis. These conditions may lead to general pain, uneasiness, walking difficulties, and the projection of bony growth on the feet.
Foot pain causes
Here are a few of the most common causes of foot pain:
- Bunions
This is a condition characterized by the appearance of bony projections on the inner side of the foot and at the big toe joint.
Plantar fasciitis leads to the feeling of a stabbing pain in the bottom of the feet. The condition is the worst when you wake up in the morning and take your first steps. You may also feel this stabbing pain when you stand in a place for a long time or stand up after sitting in a fixed position for an extended period of time. Exercising too may lead to the onset of the disease. Seek treatment for the same and try to avoid maintaining a hectic schedule. Plantar fasciitis usually occurs along with heel spurs.
Heel spurs cause bony growths to prop out from the bottom of the heel. It makes walking extremely difficult and you must seek immediate treatment for the same. Buy customised shoes with heel padding and additional foot space to combat the pain and provide for additional comfort. You may or may not experience its symptoms initially. The condition is caused due to the build-up of calcium on the underside of the heel bone and the pain usually kicks in only months after the build-up begins.
Some other popular causes of foot pain include Achilles tendinitis, osteoarthritis, bursitis, and Morton’s neuroma. Let us now explore the most common foot pain symptoms.
Here are a few of the most common foot pain symptoms one may suffer from:
- You may feel a searing or stabbing pain in your feet over extended periods of time despite taking ample rest.
- You may witness the development of the bony outgrowths from the heel which are accompanied with immense pain and discomfort.
- You may find it difficult to walk immediately after waking up and your first steps can be excruciatingly painful.
- You may feel pain in your feet when you stand up after sitting for extended periods of time.
- You may also feel pain in your feet is you have been sitting in one place for a long time and suddenly stand up.
- You may feel tenderness at the bottom of your feet.
- You may feel an abnormal tightness or tension in your feet which does not go away with time.
- Bony projections may develop at the big toe joint or on the inner side of the foot.
- You may feel heaviness in your feet upon walking or while sitting or standing in one place.
- Your feet might feel numb while walking or sitting or standing in one place.
If you are suffering from the above mentioned foot pain symptoms over a period of time, your best course of action is visiting a doctor and seeking immediate treatment. Medications, maintenance, specialized shoes, and ample rest can go a long way in alleviating the pain and curing the symptoms of the underlying causes of the pain. Avoid wearing narrow shoes and heels as they exert additional pressure on the feet. Take ample rest and avoid walking around unnecessarily. Foot pain is not life threatening but leaving it untreated can lead to further complications, so visit a doctor as soon as foot pain symptoms come to light.
