Foot Pain – Causes and Symptoms

Foot PainYour feet are the unfortunate victims of fashion, foul play, and foolishness. How many times have you squeezed into stilettos, sideswiped the sofa, or stomped on a splinter? Yet your feet always come through for you; perhaps a bit battered, but still functional. It isn't until something goes seriously wrong with your feet that you realize just how much you need them in good working condition.

It's time to see your doctor if you have foot pain and:

  1. A recent injury to your foot
  2. Pain or tenderness
  3. Bleeding or bruising
  4. Numbness, tingling, or paralysis
  5. You can't put weight on your foot
  6. No pulse in your foot

It is possible you have fractured a bone in your ankle or upper foot. As you age, your bones become thinner and more brittle. Even a slight injury can break one of the small bones in your foot. Don't delay seeing a doctor, especially if you experience foot numbness, tingling, or loss of pulse. Setting a bone becomes much more difficult after six hours.

Exposed skin becomes numb, hard, and white. When warmed, the area tingles or burns and becomes red and swollen Blisters and gangrene in severe cases.

Frostbite occurs when parts of your body are exposed to subfreezing temperatures. The cold slows down your blood flow, and body tissue can actually freeze.

Leg cramps Chest pain Headache Dizziness
With these symptoms, you may have atherosclero­sis, a condition in which fat builds up on your artery walls and restricts blood flow. More common­ly known as "hardening of the arteries," atheroscle­rosis is a major cause of fatal heart disease and stroke in the U.S.

  1. Redness, tenderness, and swelling, especially around the big toe
  2. Severe pain that usually occurs at night

Gout is a form of acute arthritis marked by inflam­mation of the joints. It usually begins in the knee or foot and is caused by too much uric acid in the blood, which forms crystals in the joints. Attacks usually last about a week.

  1. Morning stiffness
  2. Limited movement and dexterity

This could mean osteoarthritis, a condition where the cartilage in your joints gradually breaks down. Usually, you will feel an aching pain when you move or put weight on your joints.

  1. Swelling, redness, and stiffness
  2. In your foot or ankle
  3. Pain In your ankles, arches, and toes
  4. Low fever
  5. General Ill-feeling

These symptoms may signal the onset of rheuma­toid arthritis, a disease that inflames the joints.

  1. Small, hard growth on the bottom of your foot
  2. Pain when you walk

You probably are suffering from a plantar wart. The virus that causes these kinds of warts is passed from one person to another, so see your doctor for treatment and advice on preventing a recurrence.

  1. Burning pain
  2. Small blisters
  3. Foot odor
  4. Itching and inflammation
  5. Scaly patches on your feet, especially between your toes

These symptoms are most likely caused by ath­lete's foot, a contagious foot fungus that infects the skin of your feet. You can buy over-the-counter treatments, but if you have a severe case, your doctor will prescribe more powerful antifungal medications.

  1. Stiffness in your toe joints
  2. A swollen area at the base of the big toe where the skin has thickened
  3. Your big toe curves inward, sometimes overlapping the second and third toes

You may have a bunion. If you have a family histo­ry of bunions, suffer from arthritis, or have spent many years wearing ill-fitting shoes, you are more likely to develop one yourself. Your doctor can tell you how to keep the bunion from becoming worse, and in extreme cases may prescribe surgery to remove the bunion and improve the placement of the bones in your foot.

Pain under the heel bone
If you run or jog, have a job or recreational activity that requires a lot of standing, or are overweight, you are at risk of developing a heel spur, a hard growth in the muscle below the heel bone.

A weight problem
If you are more than 20 percent over the recom­mended weight for your age, sex, and height, you are clinically obese. Besides being at risk for a multitude of general health problems, you can also suffer strain-related difficulties with your feet, ankles, and knees.

  1. Sharp pain on the bottom of your foot, near your heel
  2. Pain is worse in the morning

Plantar fasciitis occurs when the rubber band-like tissue on the bottom of your foot becomes inflamed or torn. This usually results from strain caused by certain types of exercise, or simply changes in its elasticity due to aging.