Common Causes of Foot Pain

Your feet bear the weight of your entire body for an estimated 8,000 steps per day. Food pain can be one of the most troublesome, most disruptive problems you can have. Here are some of the most common causes of foot pain.

Blisters and Bunions
Two of the most common causes of foot pain are blisters and bunions. Blisters are the result of rubbing and irritation of the skin. Ill-fitting shoes are often blamed for causing this type of foot pain.

The remedy for blisters depends on whether you have pain or not. If the blister isn’t painful, leave it be. But if you find it interferes with running or walking then you can remove it, but you need to be careful to avoid infection.

Here’s how to do it
1. Sterilize a needle in an open flame (take care!)
2. Wipe the blister with an antiseptic swab to remove lingering bacteria
3. Pierce the blister, the skin is dead so you wont feel a thing
4. Gently press any fluid out and pat the area dry
5. Gently wipe the area again using antiseptic and let it dry
6. Cover the open area of the blister with a plaster.

Corns
Another troublesome foot problem is corns. Corns are hard, painful lumps that usually appear on the skin and are another result of the continuous rubbing and pressure from tight fitting shoes.

Toenail Issues
Black toenail is called this because the toenail becomes black and painful. This condition is caused by repeated pressure and impact on the toenail, often from downhill activities like running or skiing. When you do this often enough, your toe keeps banging into the end of the shoe or boot. This causes bleeding under the nail and is why your nail turns black. The best cause of action if this occurs is to visit your doctor.

Thick toenail gets its name because the nail is thicker than usual ranging from ½ to ¾ inches. Thick toenails are the result of repeated trauma or injury. The extra thickness, plus the pressure of shoes on the nail, makes for quite a painful foot problem.

Swelling under the ball of the big toe
This painful condition is the result of bruising of the tiny sesamoids bones located under the ball of the big toe. This bruising is a warning before damage occurs to the bones of the big toe. Sesamoids can be diagnosed by pressing hard on the head of your big toe with your thumb — if you feel pain then you may well have bruised your tiny bones. Talk with your doctor to help decide what you need to do next.

Bunions
A bunion is formed when swelling occurs near the bone of the big toe and sticks out to the side. A bunion is not really a problem unless it becomes tender or painful. If this happens, see your doctor to discuss your treatment options.

Too much weight or shoe pressure is often the cause of bunions. What usually happens is that the big toe tends to overlap with the second toe — this causes a problem of weight distribution. The ball on the big toe grows larger possibly due to rigorous pounding especially when running.

Hammertoes are a condition where your toes (maybe just a single toe, but never the big toe) are not correctly positioned. But with great effort you might be able to straighten your toes. Hammertoes can cause pain in the top of the toes, especially during running.

Pain under the three outside toes
This kind of pain flares especially when you press under the three smallest toes. This pain usually only effects runners as it’s caused by landing too hard on this area of the foot when running. As a result, your foot begins building a cushion called a bursa to protect the area. Bursitis pain is actually an indication that the bursa is getting irritated. As an initial measure try relieving the pressure with some foot pads.

Burning between the toes (neuromas)
A neuroma is a collection of nerve endings (usually between the 3rd and 4th toe) where their coverings have become inflamed. There is a burning sensation that’s like an electric tingling or shooting pain; accompanied by numbness. Even though there is no swelling or lumps, the pain can be pretty bad.

This is very common to people who have a condition known as loose foot where there is too much movement between the metatarsals and the bones that connect to the toes.

If you think you have any of the foot problems discussed here, consult your own doctor for the treatments that will be best for your unique situation.

Dave Wilson has an interest in Health related matters. To find out how you can gain relief from foot pain please Foot Pain Relief where you can sign up for a Free Newsletter.