16 Common Causes Of Foot Pain

The feet are marvelous things. Involved in a huge range of locomotive activities, each foot has 28 bones that work together to keep the rest of the body on the move (per Verywell Health). Indeed, almost a fourth of all your bones are located in those two things you squeeze into your socks. Made up of toe bones (or phalanges), tarsals, metatarsals, the heel bone, and various supporting and joint bones, and add to that a frankly enormous number of muscles, tendons, joints, and skin covering it all, the component aspects of your feet work together seamlessly to provide support, weight-bearing, and movement.

Until something goes awry, that is. Let's be real: With all of those tiny parts in your feet, it's unsurprising that every now and again, things can get a little out of shape. But it's easy to assume that unless your foot pain is down to a bona fide, all-of-a-sudden, obvious injury, or is severe enough to justify a day off work (like over 92,000 foot and ankle injuries were in 2017, per research published in Foot & Ankle Orthopaedics), that it's not worth addressing. In reality, though, there are a huge number of things that can cause foot pain. 

If your feet are feeling a little less than 100%, we've compiled some of the most common offenders to help you figure out what's going on down there.

With almost a quarter of all American adults experiencing arthritis in their lifetimes (per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), it's hardly surprising that many people experience it at the bottom of their bodies. "Feet are tremendously affected by arthritis," states Daytona Beach-based rheumatologist Vinicius Domingues to CreakyJoints. For both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, the prevalence of the condition in the foot and ankle is hugely common, and can cause long-term pain and discomfort in the joints of the feet.

For osteoarthritis, pain, swelling, and changes to your foot's appearance are most common around the heel, mid-foot, and between your foot and its big toe, says WebMD. Rheumatoid arthritis will typically affect both feet at the same location, per CreakyJoints. It's advisable to consult with a healthcare professional if you suspect your pain stems from arthritis, to learn how to manage the condition. As the discomfort with arthritis is largely a consequence of swelling in and around the joints, treatment can include over-the-counter NSAIDs or prescription steroids, various types of topical pain relief, shoe inserts to help keep the foot in shape, or other supportive measures. Surgery may also be required in some cases. Assessing your lifestyle and taking measures to reduce activity that may cause further pain, like high-impact workouts, may also be useful.

Our foot contains the largest, strongest tendon in our body: the Achilles tendon, which runs along the back of our foot, connecting our calf to our heel bone (per International Orthopaedics). But despite its strength, it can very easily become injured, largely due to its involvement with virtually every movement the foot makes, says OrthoInfo. Achilles tendinitis occurs when the tendon becomes inflamed, largely due to overuse or a sudden escalation of physical activity or exercise. When this happens, you'll likely experience swelling in the area, stiffness when you try and move it, and pain, which can be more acute the day after using your foot.

Achilles tendinitis is distinct from a torn Achilles tendon, which is generally caused by one sudden movement, and characterized by a sensation of "popping" and sudden pain. Tendinitis diagnosis begins with a physical examination from your doctor, who will test your foot's mobility, pain levels, and swelling, states the Mayo Clinic. Fortunately, though, Achilles tendinitis is easily treated, and will generally clear up following a course of anti-inflammatory medication and physical rehabilitation. The most important things to do, however, are to rest your affected foot, keep it elevated whenever possible, and abstain from any strenuous activity until the tendon's fully healed.

While some types of foot pain develop slowly over time, many others are far more sudden. Gout is one of these. 

Gout is a type of arthritis that's characterized by sudden, extreme pain in the feet, usually happening in the big toe, says the Mayo Clinic. This pain is thanks to uric acid building up in your body, becoming too much for your kidneys to clear, which then results in urate crystals forming in your joints. This creates friction, inflammation, and pain. Attacks of gout can appear without any prior warning and may last for up to twelve hours, but they can also leave the affected individual with residual pain and discomfort for several weeks afterward.

As gout attacks can be supremely painful, it's important to react quickly if you're experiencing one. Apply ice, take anti-inflammatory medication, and don't be tempted by the use of alcohol, which makes your body produce more uric acid, advises the Arthritis Foundation. Weight, diet, frequency of alcohol intake, and the presence of chronic conditions like kidney disease or diabetes can all increase your likelihood of developing gout, as well as having a family history of the condition (per the Mayo Clinic).

With all those bones in your feet, they're bound to have a little trouble sooner or later. But your bones don't need to be broken to be causing mischief. Bone spurs are a particularly irritating condition, characterized by small, painful lumps of calcium that grow on our skeletons, says the Cleveland Clinic. Also known as osteophytes, these little protuberances form over an extensive period. They're most common in older patients with a history of osteoarthritis, but anybody can develop a bone spur. In the feet, they're most likely to form around the ankle, big toe, or heel.

Heel spurs, which tend to grow on the bottom of your foot, can feel like a stabbing sensation in the heel area when walking or standing, and are commonly associated with plantar fasciitis (via WebMD). Although the vast majority of people can clear up heel spurs using non-surgical methods like stretching, taking part in physical therapy, or with over-the-counter medication, sometimes surgical intervention is needed. This might involve the removal of the spur and releasing the affected plantar fascia that could be causing some of the pain. However, surgery is generally considered a last resort for most patients.

If you're noticing some pain when you walk, you could have a bunion on your hands. Bunions are tremendously common foot conditions, with around 25% of people experiencing a bunion in their lifetime (per The Bunion Doctor). With the vast majority of bunions forming in people who have a family history of them, you'll know you have a bunion through the development of a tender, bony lump around your big toe joint, resulting from continued pressure between your first two toes and causing a growth, says OrthoInfo.

Bunions generally cause pain when they're pushed against shoes, or when walking or moving from place to place. They can also lead to a loss of motion in the big toe area, corns and calluses forming, and swelling. Doctors can normally figure out whether you have a bunion by examining them, but you may be required to have an X-ray to properly diagnose it. For most people, treatment comes in the form of appropriate footwear, increased protection or padding in shoes, and pain management through medication.

Most of the time, if you've fractured a bone, you'll know about it. The pain a broken bone can cause is very, very real. But broken bones don't just happen as a result of a sudden accident. 

Often, continual use of an area can see stress fractures developing, says the Mayo Clinic. Stress fractures are especially common in your feet, thanks to their involvement in everyday activities. While all of us can experience stress fractures, they're more likely to happen to runners and other people who exercise more frequently, according to NHS Oxford University Hospitals.

When treating a stress fracture in your feet, the most important thing is to rest them and reduce any weight-bearing on the area. Minor stress fractures may heal by simply halting the activity that's making it happen, but if the fracture is more developed, you may have to use crutches or specifically-designed footwear to allow the bone time to reform. It's also useful to consider your lifestyle and dietary factors: Consuming enough calcium will ensure that your bones are well-nourished and able to heal to their full capacity.

Let's face it, foot conditions aren't the most glamorous of things to be discussing. And of all of the things that can cause foot pain, corns are probably the least exciting to dwell on. 

Corns, along with calluses, are harder sections of skin on our feet which form from repeated friction, as part of the foot's effort to protect itself from further damage (per the Mayo Clinic). Calluses and corns are often discussed interchangeably, but the difference is that corns are smaller in surface area and are usually on non-weight-bearing sections of your feet.

More to the point, corns are painful, while calluses generally aren't — and so it's the corns that you're going to want to address quickly, as they can cause irritation fast. Your care should start with assessing your footwear, as shoes that are too tight can both cause corns and exacerbate them, per the American Academy of Dermatology Association. It's advisable to do your footwear shopping towards the end of the day, when your feet will be at their biggest, to avoid getting shoes that might pinch later on. Soaking your corns and applying moisturizing cream daily can help reduce them and their impact.

Our feet see a lot of action throughout the day, and if you're using them particularly strenuously, you might eventually have a care of metatarsalgia on your hands. 

The metatarsals — the longer bones in the center of the feet — take on a lot of impact during certain activities, such as more intense exercise (per WebMD). When this happens too frequently, the area can become inflamed and painful, especially around where the metatarsals join the toe bones. Usually, metatarsalgia will develop over a longer period, and you'll generally feel worse pain when you're using your feet. Metatarsalgia can also be more prominent in older people, thanks to the fat in your foot decreasing throughout your life (thereby resulting in a greater impact on your bones). 

If you're experiencing metatarsalgia, the most important thing is to reduce any high-impact activities you're doing that may make the condition worse. Using a pressure bandage or cushioned insole may also ease any aches while your foot heals. People who have bunions or tighter Achilles tendons may be at greater risk of developing metatarsalgia.