What is foot pain

Feet. They carry you from here to there every day. But you may not think much about them until they hurt. And when they do, you want relief. To get the right treatment, you need to know the problem. The first thing to consider is where your pain is located. If your pain is in your heel, you may have plantar fasciitis. That’s an irritation or inflammation of the band of tough tissue connecting the heel bone to the toes. Usually, it hurts the worst in the morning when you’re getting out of bed. You can feel it in your heel or in your arch. To treat it: Rest your foot. Do heel and foot muscle stretches. Take over-the-counter pain relievers. Wear shoes with good arch support and a cushioned sole. Heel spurs are another source of foot pain. These are abnormal growths of bone on the bottom of your heel. You can get them from wearing the wrong shoes or from an abnormal walk or posture, or even from activities like running. The spurs may hurt while you’re walking or standing. Lots of people have them, but most don’t have pain. People with flat feet or high arches are more likely to have painful heel spurs. To treat it: Rest your foot. Use ice or cold packs on the bottom of your foot and your heel for about 15 minutes as you feel pain. Compress your ankle with a snug elastic bandage or wrap. Keep your foot raised up above the level of your heart as much as possible, including when you sleep. Take over-the-counter pain relievers. A stone bruise is a deep bruise of the fat pad of the heel or ball of the foot. It’s often from an impact injury, but it can also happen after stepping on a hard object. The pain feels like you’re walking on a pebble. It will gradually go away on its own. In the meantime: Rest your foot. Ice the area. Take over-the-counter pain relievers. A heel fracture is usually a high-impact injury such as from a fall or car accident. Your heel bone may not just break, it could also shatter. Heel pain, bruising, swelling, or trouble walking are the main symptoms. To treat it: Don’t put pressure on the heel. You can use crutches. Protect the heel with pads. Wear a splint or cast to protect the heel bone. Ask your doctor about over-the-counter or prescription pain relievers. Try physical therapy. If you’re still in pain, ask your doctor about surgery. Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a mix of a skin disorder (psoriasis) and joint inflammation (arthritis). It’s a long-term condition that can run in families. PsA may cause stiffness and throbbing pain in the tendons over your fingers, toes, and other joints. To treat it: For mild cases of PsA, your doctor may recommend a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to block the chemicals that cause swelling in your joints. You can get this medication at the pharmacy (aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen) or with a prescription. Try hot and cold therapy. Heat helps blood circulation to lessen stiffness. Cold lowers swelling. Manage your stress, which can make your PsA flare. For severe cases, you may need more powerful medications. Options include disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), including biologics, and corticosteroids. Toe Pain Gout, which is a form of arthritis, can cause pain in the toes. Crystals collect in toe joints, causing severe pain and swelling. The big toe is often affected. To treat it: Rest the foot. Ice the area. Take medication such as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), prednisone, colchicine, or allopurinol. Avoid foods that can make gout worse. Tendinitis is inflammation and irritation of tendons, the bands attaching muscles to bones. Tendons run along all the surfaces of the foot and can cause foot pain in many different locations. To treat it: Rest your foot. Take pain relievers. Steroid injections can help. Surgery is rarely needed.