Your foot is comprised of a number of bones, nerves and tendons, so it’s no surprise that there are a wide variety of foot injuries. A lot of times it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what’s going on with your foot, but the location of the injury, be it in your heel, arch, ball or your toes, oftentimes gives us clues as to what may be bothering you. Today, we take a look at some foot conditions you may be dealing with based on the location of your pain.
Identifying Foot Pain By Location
Here are some foot injuries based on where the pain in your foot is located:
Arch Pain – If pain seems to be coming from the arch of your foot, there are a couple of conditions your doctor will test you for at the outset. The most common is probably plantar fasciitis, which is categorized by inflammation of a thick band of tissue near the back of your arch. Injections, physical therapy and rest can help treat plantar fasciitis. Another common cause of arch pain is from fallen arches, which can usually be corrected with orthotic inserts or shoes with a higher arch.
Ball of Foot Pain – If you have pain in the ball of your foot, you’re not alone. Plenty of people deal with inflammation in the ball of their foot, and this is known as metatarsalgia. Shoes with more cushion can help provide relief, but rest, ice and OTC pain relievers are also helpful. If your pain is not caused by metatarsalgia, you might be dealing with sesamoiditis. When the tendons near your big toe become injured or inflamed, it can cause pain in the ball of your foot, and it’s rather common in runners and dancers. Similar to metatarsalgia, rest, ice, pain relievers and sometimes injections can help with the pain.
Heel Pain – A lot of people reach out to us about their heel pain, because oftentimes our heels are the first thing to hit the ground when we run or suffer a fall. Two common causes of heel pain are heel bruises and heel fractures. The goal with both of these injuries is to relieve pressure on the area, so rest and protect the heel with a walking boot or a well-cushioned shoe.
Toe Pain – There are a number of different issues that can affect our toes. We’ll speed through a bunch of potential problems. If your nail bed hurts, it could be an ingrown toenail or an underlying infection. If you’re dealing with pain in the joint of your big toe, gout is the likely culprit. If you have a bony bulge on the side of your big toe, you’re dealing with a bunion, and you’ll want to see a foot specialist. If your toes are curling and you have difficulty straightening them, you’re probably battling hammertoes or claw toe. If you’re just dealing with acute toe pain, and you stubbed it or dropped something heavy on it, it’s likely bruised or broken.