Approximately 75% of Canadians will experience some form of foot problem during their lifetime. Are you one of the 75% of people suffering?
Causes of Foot Pain
There are several different types of foot pain, diagnosis, and treatments. Pain in the foot can be caused by problems in the bones, ligaments, tendons, muscles, fascia, toenail beds, nerves, blood vessels, or skin. To keep this blog short and sweet we will talk about the most common types of foot pain. The first being plantar fasciitis.
Heel Pain
Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. It occurs when the plantar fascia (the band of tissue that connects the heel bones to the toes) becomes irritated or inflamed. Those with plantar fasciitis will experience heel pain that is aggravated when standing and walking. Plantar fasciitis can affect people of all ages. Although it is more likely to happen if:
- Your feet roll inward when you walk;
- You have high arches or flat feet;
- You walk or stand for long periods, especially on hard surfaces or;
- You are overweight.
Treatments for plantar fasciitis include:
- Give your feet a break. Try to cut back on activities that aggravate pain. This will allow time for irritation and inflammation to decrease.
- Ice, Ice, baby. Place an ice pack on your heel for 15 minutes every hour until pain subsides to reduce swelling.
- Stretch it out! Calf stretches and toe stretches first thing in the morning can help strengthen the muscles that support your arch, and in turn reduce stress on the ligament.
- Go shoe shopping. That’s right, you heard me. Go shopping for shoes with good arch support and a cushoined sole. Or better yet, go shopping for a pair of orthotics (more on this later).
Ball of Foot Pain
Foot pain can also be felt in the ball of the foot. Pain in this area is most commonly known as metatarsalgia. Metatarsalgia occurs when there is inflammation in the ball of the foot. This can result from streneous acitivity and ill-fitting shoes.
Treatment for metatarsalgia includes:
- Buy comfier shoes that support your arches (yep, more shoe shopping).
- Invest in a pair of orthotics to help take pressure off of the ball of the foot and reduce inflammation.
Arch Pain
Arch pain tends to be the cause of plantar fasciitis, which can affect the heel, arch or both. Treatment for plantar fasciitis pain experience in the arch is the same as pain experienced in the heel.
How Orthotics Help
Your feet are a complex system of 52 bones, 66 joint, 214 ligaments and 38 tendons and muscles. Even the smallest imbalance in your feet can cause pain. When issues like metatarsalgia and plantar fasciitis are left untreated, chronic foot pain can prevent you from leading the active lifestyle you desire. Luckily, orthotics can help.
Orthotics are shoe insoles, custom-made to guide the foot into corrected biomechanics. A chiropractor can help you find the proper orthotic.
Orthotics are commonly prescribed to help with hammer toes, heel spurs, metatarsal problems, bunions, diabetic ulcerations and numerous other problems. They also help to minimize shin splints, back pain and strain on joints and ligaments. Orthotics help foot problems by ensuring proper foot mechanics and taking pressure off the parts of your foot that you are placing too much stress on.
Are you interested in being fitted for orthotics? We can do that for you. Call the clinic at (613) 837- 2883 to book your very own gait scan analysis.
And be sure to share this blog with your family and friends and leave any comments below! We’d love to hear from you.
References
Foot Pain Causes and Treatments