Foot Pain Footwear Challenges

Anatomy of the Foot: The foot is made up of 26 specifically shaped bones that act as connection points for the structures of your foot. Each ligament, tendon, and joint is essential to your feet health.

It is estimated that people with moderate activity levels take 7500 steps per day, with a total of over 700 Million steps in an 80-year lifetime.

This means that supporting the many structures of the foot is imperative for proper foot health, especially as we age.

Causes of Foot Pain:

Bunion:

a protrusion of bone or tissue around a joint, often around the base of the great toe joint. Caused by prolonged stress on joint, arthritis, etc.

Friendly Solution: Wear comfortable well-fitting shoes. Keep an eye on the level of deformity, be sure to notify a podiatrist if you observe changes, worsening of the deformity.

Corn:

callus growths that develop on toes, often caused by friction from a shoe or adjacent toe

Friendly Solution: apply pads to cover the corn area and reduce/eliminate friction. Consider shoes with a large toe box to reduce rubbing between toes or on the shoe upper.

Plantar Fasciitis:

severe pain at the heel of the foot, especially when prolonged standing or resting. Occurs due to inflammation of the plantar fascia, that attaches to the heel bone.

Friendly Solution: 1) arch supporting shoes 2) stretches 3) ice 4) manual treatment Be sure to consult a medical professional if consistent follow-up (2-3x.day) is not reducing pain after a 2-week trial.

Heel Spurs:

bone growth on the heel bone, can worsen if not addressed

Friendly Solution: Ensure proper arch-supporting footwear. Consider rest and stretching during the acute phase and use ice to assist with reduced swelling/pain.

Hammer Toes:

the bending of the toes in the middle joint. This often occurs on the 2nd toe however it can occur with other toes as well.

Friendly Solution: Avoid tight-fitting shoes with small toe boxes that constrict the middle toe joint on the affected toe.

Morton’s Neuroma:

results from a buildup of tissue surrounding the nerves of the long toe bones. This often worsens with the rubbing of the two inner toes (toe digit 3 and 4).

Friendly Solution: Consider choosing shoes with large toe boxes to allow room for the foot to expand to reduce the rubbing on the inner toes.

Diabetes/Vascular/Neurologic Pain:

These conditions often affect blood flow throughout the body. Individuals with these conditions should perform routine skin checks on their feet to ensure optimal foot health.

Friendly Solution: Trial different shoes and see how your foot/pain responds. Look out for a good return policy and find a shoe company that makes the right type of shoe for YOUR foot. It is super important to look out for red areas after each wear if you have any of the above conditions.