These Are the Most Common Types of Foot Pain
Posted on Apr 12, 2021

Aches and pains in your feet can truly take the wind out of your sails – and many possible causes could be triggering your joint and muscle discomfort.

Let’s look at some of the most prominent painful foot conditions and their symptoms.


HERE ARE SOME OF THE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF FOOT PAIN


Let’s look more closely at seven of the most common causes of foot pain. Have you or a loved one experienced any of these conditions?

Plantar Fasciitis

This condition may result from degeneration and/or microtearing of the webby ligament that connects the front of your foot to the heel bone.

Overusing or stretching of this fascia can lead to tearing, irritation, and inflammation.

More commonly, chronic inflammation and damage to the structure of the fascia by free radical species (oxidative stress) is the culprit of this painful condition.  

Plantar fasciitis is marked by sharp, stabbing pains that make it especially painful to stand or walk after long periods off your feet.

This is why many sufferers say their pain is worst with their first morning steps.

Some report increases in pain after cool-down periods and improvements in pain with activity.


Bunions

Bunions are bony deformities that form at the base of the big toe, where it meets the ball of the foot, due to bone misalignment and muscle imbalances.

This warping of the bones can result from injury, inflammatory disease, or from genetics.

These bumps on the inner edge of the foot by the joint of the great toe make finding footwear difficult and uncomfortable, and they can also easily become sore and irritated.

Likewise, the deformity itself will alter how the foot is loaded during the day, and this often leads to pain.  


Diabetic Neuropathy

Neuropathy is nerve-based pain without any physical source such as injury, infection or similar.

Rather, the nerve itself simply starts to fire an electrical pain signal for no apparent reason.

This neuropathic pain is due to dysfunction of the nerve cells from damage induced by large amounts of excess glucose and sorbitol in the bloodstream.

This excessive amount of fuel surrounding the cells causes chaos within the mitochondria and oxidative damage to cell membranes.

This is often influenced by poor diet and health, regular smoking habits, and a diabetic history including struggles with high blood sugar.

UNHEALTHY NERVE CELL

High blood sugar levels damage the nerves and leads to abnormal triggering of pain responses in your feet.

The damage to the nerves leads to pain, tingling, and even numbness in the feet.

Essentially, these damaged nerves fire ectopically, and the brain interprets this as pain.

About 50% of diabetics with neuropathy have neuropathic pain.

However, most cases of neuropathic pain are actually not due to diabetes.

There are many other conditions that lead to such pain. One of these is actually what is now called ‘pre-diabetes’.  


Heel Spurs

Heel spurs are protruding calcium deposits that form on the underside of your heel.

These can develop due to strained muscles and ligaments in the feet, as well as overstretching of the plantar fascia.

Generally, a spur forms as a defense against abnormal forces.

However, spurs also form because the normal cellular processes of tendon production and fascia production are disrupted and falsely turned into bone-forming pathways.

This is often due to chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.  

Pain from heel spurs can be minimal, but for others, these extensions can cause knife or needle-like sharpness on the bottoms of the feet.


Morton’s Neuroma

Morton’s neuroma is a painful condition that affects the forefoot, specifically the ball of the foot.

This develops due to nerve compression at the metatarsophalangeal joints that can result in radiating pain and numbness.

Many sufferers also experience the feeling of a rock or marble being stuck in their shoes at the base of the toes (ball of the foot - or the webspaces).

The pain is linked to damage of the plantar digital nerve.

This nerve is responsible for basic sensation of the toes.

Sometimes this nerve hurts from compression.

Other times it is from a hard casing that forms around the nerve

For others, it is from abnormal pressures induced by synovitis of nearby joint capsules.


Achilles Tendinitis

The Achilles tendon is a thick, strong band of tissue located at the heel. This is the largest tendon in the body and connects the calf muscles to the foot.

The Achilles tendon is what gives us the ability to walk and run.

Strain, injury, and repetitive overuse can cause it to become inflamed or damaged, leading to moderate to severe pain and stiffness with movement.

Achilles tendinitis is most common in those with low levels of chronic inflammation and those with damage to connective tissue matrices from oxidative stress.  

This condition may occur in athletes due to repeated strain combined with biomechanical deficiencies, or in obese individuals with extra strain placed on their muscles.

Most cases that occur in individuals with higher body mass indices are from chronic inflammation attacking the tendon’s structural integrity.  


Metatarsalgia

This pain affects the ball of the foot, like Morton’s neuroma.

Metatarsalgia can result from other injuries or conditions that add extra pressure to the metatarsals at the base of your toes.

This causes pain in the forefoot that can affect your gait pattern if left untreated.

Metatarsalgia pain is usually caused by inflamed synovial tissue at the joint capsule of the metatarsophalangeal joints.

These are the joints that sit just above the ball of the foot.

Most walking and running involve loading these joints as they extend.

This leads to increasing amounts of pressure on the joint capsule.

If there is not enough natural padding at the ball of the foot, the capsules can become damaged.  

Remember – a professional opinion and evaluation is always your best option if you want a good diagnosis of your foot pain.

Schedule an appointment with your doctor or podiatrist today to find out your exact cause of foot pain to find the fastest route to relief!


FOOT PAIN? NOT WHEN YOU'VE GOT THE HEALING SOLE & WELL THEORY!


The Healing Sole and Well Theory were created to help you relieve pain and inflammation throughout the feet and body while also promoting better health overall.

When it comes to foot pain, your condition doesn’t stand a chance when you’ve got our surgeon-designed products to save the day!

Fighting foot pain is the purpose for which The Healing Sole was designed.

It does so using proven methods of pain relief and healing, all built into one shoe.

The Healing Sole incorporates:

  • A rocker bottom sole
  • Raised arch support
  • A metatarsal bar
  • A compressible inner heel
  • Structural integrity that promotes core muscle strength of the foot

Whether you are putting on our flip flops after a workout, to start your morning, or for relief at the end of a long day, The Healing Sole gently yet effectively stretches out the tension in your muscles while also supporting the sole with firm, protective materials.

All you need is a few hours a day to make pain from plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, Morton’s neuroma, and more a thing of the past!

Our Well Theory products take this a step further with topical creams or products that work from the inside to lower inflammation and pain.

Here are just a few of our top recommendations for foot pain:

PAIN RELIEF FOOT CREAM

TART CHERRY EXTRACT

ESSENTIAL MULTIVITAMIN

JOINT HEALTH MULTI

Each product is designed with natural ingredients that are scientifically proven to counteract the effects of inflammation, oxidative stress, joint stiffness, and more!

Find our full range of products on our website to create your perfect pain relief and wellness routine!