If you’ve been experiencing pain in your feet (and especially if the pain seems to be coming from your heel), you may have a heel spur. It’s a common assumption - and a heel spur can cause foot pain. However, only 50% of people who have heel spurs actually feel any pain because of it.
We tend to associate heel spurs with the back of the foot, but the fact is that the calcaneus (the bone that forms the back of your heel) is more complex than we often realize. There are many different bony protrusions and other features on the bone known as spurs or horns, some of which do not produce any pain at all. A lot depends on where you feel your pain and how it feels when you walk.
These are the most common reasons why your feet hurt:
Heel spur
It might be hard to believe, but most people with heel spurs don’t feel any pain. In fact, most people who have heel spur don’t even know they retain one until they see a doctor.
A heel spur is a piece of bone that sticks out from the bottom of your heel bone. It’s a bony bump you can feel if you press your thumb against the bottom of your heel.
People aren’t sure why heel spurs form, but they often develop after an injury to your foot, like a bruise or fracture, or when you have plantar fasciitis — a painful condition caused by inflammation in the tissue that connects your heel bone to your toes.
People with diabetes are also at higher risk for developing heel spurs because the disease can affect blood flow and nerve sensation in your feet. In fact, it’s estimated that three-quarters of people with diabetes will develop some type of foot problem over the course of their lifetime.
Tarsal tunnel syndrome
Tarsal tunnel syndrome is a painful condition of the foot and ankle that can cause numbness and tingle in the affected foot. It occurs when the tarsal tunnel, which is located on the inside of the ankle, is compressed by swelling or inflammation.
Tarsal tunnel syndrome can also be caused by broken or deformed bones in your ankle joint (ankle fracture) or another disorder that affects the muscles and tendons around your foot and ankle (such as rheumatoid arthritis). This condition can also be caused by wearing high heels all day long, which puts extra pressure on the joints and soft tissues of the feet.
Cuboid syndrome
The cuboid syndrome can be painful, but it's not a serious condition. Your doctor can give you some instructions to help reduce pain, like wearing shoes with good arch support. If your doctor thinks you have cuboid syndrome, he or she might recommend using an over-the-counter pain reliever to ease the pain and swelling.
Cuboid syndrome is most common in people who are between the ages of 30 and 50. It especially affects people who are into sports, like tennis players and basketball players. And because the cuboid syndrome is so closely related to pronation, it's also common among runners.
Fallen arch
A fallen arch is one of the most common causes of foot pain. It occurs when the foot flattens out and collapses inward, so the arch drops down toward the floor. This condition is usually caused by an imbalance of forces through the foot as well as overuse or injury to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the foot.
A person with a fallen arch may describe symptoms such as:
-Pain along the inside edge of their foot, sometimes extending up into the ankle;
-Pain in the heel or ball of their foot;
-Foot pain that worsens with standing on one's toes.
If you have any of these symptoms, talk to a podiatrist about getting an orthotic solution in your shoes. An experienced podiatrist can help evaluate your need for an orthotic and determine which type would work best for you.
Arthritis
There are many different types of arthritis, but most causes can be traced back to inflammation in the joints. The knee, ankle, and foot are common locations for arthritis. It can also be found in the fingers and hands, hips, shoulders, and neck.
Arthritis is not a normal part of aging as once thought. We used to think that people who had arthritis had just worn out their joints from walking around all their lives. But newer research shows that even young people can get arthritis from being injured or overusing their joints.
Arthritis is a condition in which the tissue that covers the bone breaks down and wears away, causing pain and loss of motion in the joint. This breakdown happens either from injury or overuse.
Turf toe
Foot pain can easily be confused with plantar fasciitis, a condition that causes pain in the bottom of your foot. While they do share some similar symptoms, they are different ailments that require different treatments. The turf toe is caused by an injury to the joint of the big toe. It's an overuse injury that develops from repeatedly jamming your toes into pointy-topped shoes. The top of the shoe digs into your toe joint and causes inflammation, which results in soreness and swelling.
A simple diagnosis can be made by taking a look at your shoes — if you find that the area under the big toes is torn or pushed down, you may have the turf toe.
When you feel pain in the foot, the most important thing is to visit a doctor, in order to get a diagnosis and adequate therapy.
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