Understanding Foot Pain

Our foot consists of an intricate network of bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons, all beautifully held together and designed to bear the weight of the body. Though our foot is a strong and stable structure, it too is vulnerable to injury, causing mild to severe foot pain.

Foot pain can affect any part of the foot, from the tips of the toes to the Achilles tendon at the back of the heel. Initially, foot pain usually starts as micro injuries on some of the structures of the foot; usually the plantar fascia or Achilles tendon, causing these structures to swell up and experience mild to extreme foot pain. Although mild foot pain can easily be treated at home, it will take time for the injuries to heal. But most often, mild foot pain can progress to chronic foot pain due to lack of knowledge on how to properly treat the early signs of pain.

Every time we hurt ourselves, it is quite normal to take medications for the pain. Unfortunately, taking pain killers for foot pain could actually make the condition worse. Pain is like a signal, telling you that there is something wrong with your foot and you need to give it some rest. When you take pain killers, you are masking the pain, allowing you to use your injured foot, hence causing more injury which could lead to chronic heel pain.

When you experience mild foot pain, allow your foot to rest for a few days. If your foot is swollen, it is advisable to apply cold stimuli to reduce the pain and swelling. Wrapping the foot is great in immobilizing the foot. A foot that is allowed to rest can heal faster. Also, elevating the foot above the heart is also an effective way to reduce swelling. You will know if your foot is ready when you no longer feel any pain when you step.

Heel Pain: Tips On Handling Pain and Swelling

Heel pain is a common complaint of a lot of people, especially those who are engaged in strenuous physical activities and sports and those who are overweight.  Runner, climbers, people who walk long distances, wear high heels or anyone who extensively use their feet are prone to this condition.

Accurate diagnosis of what’s causing the pain is critical in determining what treatment modality should be used. Below are some very important information about heel pain, its causes, symptoms and treatments.

Generally there are two common types of heel pain:

Plantar fasciitis – this condition is due to an inflamed plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a very strong fibrous tissue and is responsible in maintaining the arch of the foot. This structure is constantly under tremendous stress when walking, running, lifting weights or anything that involves the foot and this is the reason why the plantar fascia gets injured, causing mild to severe lower foot pain.

Achilles Tendinitis – this condition involves the injury of the Achilles tendon that cause mild to severe pain behind the heel. The Achilles tendon is also a strong fibrous tissue located behind the foot. Cause of injury is just the same as Achilles tendinitis, but is very common among women using high heels.

Common symptoms are pain and swelling of the foot. The typical symptom of plantar fasciitis is striking pain underneath the foot when rising up from the bed, or taking your first step after a long drive. In Achilles tendinitis, the pain gradually increases when using the foot.

Treating both conditions is the key to preventing chronic heel pain. Usually, doing the RICE method can relieve pain and swelling.

Rest – resting the foot allows the micro injuries of the Achilles tendon and plantar fascia to heal. This is the best way to treat both conditions.

Ice – exposing the affected foot with cold stimuli can reduce pain and swelling.

Compress – wrapping the affected foot with an elastic bandage help immobilize the foot, which help a lot in the healing process.

Elevation – when standing, body fluids tend to pool on our foot, especially when it is inflamed. Raising the affected foot above the heart can significantly reduce swelling.

What’s Causing Your Heel Pain

Every time you walk, jog or lift weights, you put a lot of stress on your feet. Actually, the feet can handle a lot of stress but of course there are times that some structures of may give in and get injured causing mild to severe heel pain.

 When you pound your foot while playing sports or walk long hours using wrong footwear, this can injure the deep tissues of the foot, making it sore. Usually, allowing the foot to rest is enough for it to heal. However, many individuals ignore the early signs of heel pain and continue their daily activities. Doing so will introduce more injury to the foot which could lead to chronic heel pain.

Diagnosing Heel Pain

 If you experience any heel pain whether it’s mild or severe, see your doctor right away and get treatment. There are many causes of heel pain and a doctor will ask you the exact location of the pain and how long you had it. Your doctor will also examine your foot, look for signs of tenderness and swelling, and do some physical tests (walk or stand on one foot) to determine the cause of heel pain.

Types Of Heel Pain

Generally, the cause of heel pain fall into two categories: Pain under the heel and behind the heel.

Pain Under the Heel

If pain originates beneath the feet, it can be due to one or more of the following:

1.       Plantar fasciitis – this is one of the common cause of chronic heel pain under the foot. This is  swelling of the pantar fascia, a strong fibrous tissue that maintains the arch of the foot.

2.       Stone bruise – typically due to bruising of the fat pads of the foot when stepping on a hard object like a rock or stone.  Pain goes away gradually with rest.

3.       Heel Spur – Usually due to chronic plantar fasciitis. Continued injury to the plantar fascia may form a bony protrusion under the calcaneus bone causing severe foot pain.

Pain Behind the Heel

            Pain occurring behind the foot is due injury of the Achilles tendon which is called Achilles tendinitis.

Easy Tips In Managing Chronic Foot Pain.

Foot pain should not be a part of your daily life. There are ways to manage chronic foot pain without the need of drastic surgery.

Two common causes of chronic foot pain are plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis. 

Plantar fasciitis is a condition where the plantar fascia gets inflamed causing lower foot pain. The plantar fascia is a strong fibrous tissue located underneath the foot. It attaches the calcaneus bone or heel bone to the heads of the metatarsal bones. 

Plantar fasciitis is common among the elderly since the plantar fascia is commonly used and prone to wear and tear. This condition is also common among athletes like runners, basketball players, those who play football, or any sport that involves the foot. 

Achilles tendinitis on the other hand involves the back of the foot. This affects the Achilles tendon, a strong tendon that attaches behind the heel bone to the muscles above (gastrocnemius and soleus). Injury to the Achilles tendon is similar to plantar fascia: wear and tear due to old age and sports.

Fortunately, both conditions can easily be managed using the RICE method.

Rest – this is very important when managing chronic foot pain. The pain coming from plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis are due to micro injuries. Allowing the foot to rest allows the body to heal these injuries.

Ice – applying cold stimuli to the affected foot is a good way to alleviate pain and swelling. 

Compress – compressing the foot with an elastic bandage helps prevent further swelling. Also it helps immobilize the foot, which is very important for the healing process.

Elevate – In some cases, the foot becomes really swollen because of gravity pulling fluid to the foot. Elevating the foot above the heart prevents this, allowing the fluids to flow back into the circulatory system and relieving the foot from pressure and pain.