You use your feet every day and when you experience discomfort or pain, understandably, you want to know why, as well as find the best solution. There are many different reasons as to why your feet might be hurting, and this will all depend on your activity levels, your lifestyle, and whether or not you’ve experienced injury or trauma to your feet (recently or in the past).

The foot is a complex body part, with over 26 bones, 33 joints and over 100 muscles, it can be difficult to determine the exact cause of your foot pain. To continue full mobility it’s important to have your feet checked out and diagnosed by a professional. Here at Healthy Steps, we provide custom orthotics, orthopedic footwear, footwear modifications and can help determine the cause and help treat any foot pain you might have.

Signs to look out for

It’s important to know what signs to look out for in your feet, even if they aren’t particularly painful. Some symptoms you may experience early on as a warning of deeper issues that could be serious later down the line. Look out for signs such as:

A burning sensation in your feet, heels, balls of your feet and toes
Clicking or the feeling like bones are going to click
Discolouration, bruising
You’re unable to bear weight on your foot or both feet
An open wound that is weeping with pus
For those with diabetes, a wound that won’t heal or your feet are red, hot and swollen.
Your feet are showing symptoms of infections such as swelling, redness and hot to the touch accompanied by a fever
Complete or partial numbness of the foot

What causes foot pain?

Foot pain can occur for many reasons and with what seems like no warning. Common causes of foot pain include:

Lifestyle choices

Lifestyle choices such as what kind of shoes you wear can dramatically affect your feet. High heels or improper fitting shoes can cause foot pain. It can also occur from other lifestyle choices such as the exercises you’re doing, or lack of. Being obese puts more pressure on your feet and can cause pain. What you eat can affect the pain in your feet. Avoid foods that cause excessive inflammation. See our blog “The Food-Foot Connection“.

Medications

It’s a commonly known fact that medications can give off strange side effects. If you’ve noticed foot pain after beginning a new course of medication, speak to your GP about whether your foot pain is associated with it.

Injury

Injuries such as breaking your foot, a sprain, fracture or tendonitis can cause long-term pain if not treated properly. A professional will be able to assist you with the right course of treatment.

Illness

Illnesses such as diabetes or arthritis can cause complications and several disorders of the feet. These can be easily managed with regular check-ups and healthy lifestyle choices such as a healthy diet and properly fitting shoes. For more information check our blog “What Diabetes means for your feet”.

Here at Healthy Steps, we understand that you want to get back on your feet as quickly as possible. Contact us today for a consultation or to learn more about custom orthotics and how they could help your foot pain.