Chronic foot pain

Foot pain causes

A variety of injuries or conditions can cause foot pain. These include trauma, disease, or combination of both. Trauma occurs as a result of outside forces getting the body into a position that causes damage to body structure. The trauma can manifest as bruises, muscle strains, ligament sprains and bone fracture depending on the direction and intensity of the forces influencing the foot.When ligaments that bind the bones together are overstretched their fibers can tear and can cause foot or ankle sprain. Foot pain can be a result of loose ligaments in the foot joints.

Injuries

Bruising, overuse, overloading, overstretching or cuts can cause strains to foot muscles. One of the common strain injuries is to the tendon attached to the back of the heel. This injury is called Achilles tendonitis.Foot twists, single blow or repetitive trauma to the foot can cause stress fracture injury to the bones and joints. Injury caused by a blunt force can result in not only bruises and skin breaking, but can also cause damage to foot muscles, ligaments and even bone fracture. Foot pain caused by irritated joints in the ball of the foot is called Metarsalgia.

A strain of the tendon under the joint of the big toe is a common athletic injury called ‘Turf Toe’. Toenail trauma can cause blood to pool under the toenail and temporary or permanent toenail loss. If bones, muscles and ligaments are exposed to repetitive trauma, it can cause increased bone growth in irritated areas, known as exostosis or spurs.

Repeated stress to the foot can cause stress fractures, plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, acute or chronic osteoarthritis.Running on too hard, too soft or uneven surfaces can cause Micro trauma injuries. These can also be caused by footwear that fits incorrectly or has poor force absorption qualities. Just by standing on our feet the arches of the feet absorb and reflect forces coming to and going from the body.

Common cause of arch pain is the plantar fascia injury. The plantar fascia extends the bottom of the foot length and consists of tough fibrous sheath that lends support to the arch. Damage to the plantar fascia can result in inflammatory response and cause pain in the arch. Foot pain may be a consequence of low and high arches (flat feet).

Biomechanical misalignment can also cause foot pain. Wearing shoes that are too tight or high heels can cause blisters, calluses, bruising, pain in the balls of the feet area and athlete’s foot. This can also develop into long term effects such as corns, bunions, joint and nerve irritation, and toe misalignment.Various viruses, bacteria, fungi and diseases can cause foot pain. Gout, Hansen’s disease and diabetes are diseases that commonly affect the foot.

Peripheral neuropathy is a foot nerve disorder and can cause burning sensation and numbness to the feet. A Virus can cause plantar warts, usually located on the bottom of the foot which result in irritation. Another cause of foot irritation is ‘Athlete’s foot’ caused by a fungus.Ingrown toenails are a common cause of the foot pain. The edges of the nail can grow into or through the skin causing irritation or even infection.