Foot Pain: Overlooked Causes & Relief Techniques

Introduction

Many people that have foot pain often ignore it, till it’s too late and it starts affecting their daily life. Whether it’s dull aches, sharp foot pain or a lingering (chronic) discomfort, foot pain can make your every day tasks unbearable. Things like walking, working, exercising or even standing can be too hard to do. But what if the source of your pain isn’t as obvious as you might think?

Many foot pain problems have hidden causes like improper footwear, unnoticed injuries or nerve irritations. Here, we’ll explore some common (but often overlooked) reasons for foot pain and actionable/practical solutions to help relieve and even potentially prevent your foot pain!

People might assume that pain on top of the feet is due to wearing tight shoes or simply because of overusing your foot. However, top of foot pain can be complex in nature. Fractures (primarily stress fractures), nerve compression and tendonitis are common reasons for foot pain.

Extensor Tendonitis: Inflammation of the tendons that lift the foot, often caused by wearing tight shoes or repetitive movements.

Stress Fractures: This is often tiny cracks in your bones due to overuse, which is common in active individuals and runners.

Nerve Compression: This describes pinched nerves that can be from swelling or tight footwear which causes sharp and burning feet.

Actionable Relief and Prevention Techniques: Avoid wearing tight-fitting shoes, stretch the foot muscle regularly and use topical pain relief to ease inflammation after overusing it.

Pain along the inside or outside of the foot can often be ignored or even aggrevated by everyday habits. Again, wearing unsupportive shoes, having improper walking mechanics or having ligament strains and bone misalignments can be primarily reasons but below are more details.

Peroneal Tendonitis: This is inflammation on the outer foot often due to sudden increases in activity.

Cuboid Syndrome: A misaligned cuboid bone which causes sharp pain on the outer edge of the foot.

Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction (PTTD): This is a weakness in the arch-supporting tendon which causes pain along the inner side of the foot.

Actionable Relief and Prevention Techniques: Strengthen the foot and ankle muscles, wear better supportive shoes and use pain relief treatments to ease discomfort.

When Should You Seek Medical Help?

Foot pain can either be mild and managed at home, or more severe (and persistent) and require professional evaluation. We recommend that you see a doctor if you:

Experience severe swelling, bruising or deformities in your foot.
Feel numbness, tingling or other sensations that don’t go away.
Experience pain that worsens over time and doesn’t improve with rest.

Don’t ignore your foot pain as it can lead to chronic issues and potential long-term mobility problems so it’s very important to take early signs seriously!