What to do if your feet hurt

This entire complex complex is designed to:

soften steps, performing the function of shock absorption;
redistribute the load evenly on both sides of the body;
protect the body and internal organs from shocks;
maintain balance.

In the literal sense of the word, not a single step can be taken without supporting the feet. Evolution has created the perfect form of this part of the body, but it is very multicomponent. If a failure occurs somewhere, a person immediately loses a significant number of functions, feels discomfort and pain. The reasons why your feet hurt are very diverse.

The nature of the pain syndrome is diverse. It may hurt:

in a specific place or in the entire foot;
during physical activity or constantly;
intense, tugging, aching, pulling, twisting, piercing.

No matter how the foot lets you know about problems, it is imperative to go to the doctor, because many ailments can worsen and further deteriorate the patient’s health.
Disability is not excluded. Often, in addition to pain, there is a burning sensation, cramps, itching, swelling, tingling, rashes, deformation, and weakness. All of these are indicators of a number of diseases that can attack the feet. To determine what kind of illness negatively affects a person’s life, it is necessary to visit a therapist, neurologist, orthopedist, or traumatologist, who will make an accurate diagnosis based on the results of various tests. As a rule, pain is a manifestation of a certain pathology. Therefore, without getting rid of it, it is impossible to heal the foot. This makes diagnostic measures indispensable, and self-medication harmful.

Why do my feet hurt?

Experts consider many reasons that can cause pain. For example, if the foot hurts achingly, this may be due to overexertion and heavy load endured, perhaps due to wearing tight shoes with heels. Baths, massages, changing shoes to more comfortable ones, and reducing the load on your feet will help here.

A much more serious danger is posed by injuries, infectious, systemic and inflammatory diseases, and various deformities. For example, with flat feet, the arch of the foot disappears, and instead of a natural arch, a person gets an almost smooth foot. This leads to a change in the location of the internal bones, compression of nerves and blood vessels.

Another disease of the deforming type is the so-called diabetic foot. Diagnosed in patients with advanced type 1 diabetes. Due to impaired blood flow, the leg in the foot area swells, the person limps, and trophic ulcers appear on the skin. It is urgent to reduce sugar levels and carefully monitor them in the future.

Arthrosis deformans is also a cause of foot pain. With this disease, the fingers lose their natural shape, become like hooks, and move poorly. The person experiences significant problems with walking. One joint is not enough; several joints fail at once.

For what reasons can the soles of your feet hurt?

Humanity “pays” for the ability to walk upright with diseases of the joints and spine. Often the sole of the foot hurts when walking, because during this process a huge load is placed on the foot, which can cause damage to:

nerve roots;
vessels;
joints;
muscles;
ligaments;
leather.

In addition, shoes designed to protect the feet often injure the foot even more due to irregular shape, flat soles, excessively high heels or synthetic material. Deformations

Aching pain, a feeling of fatigue, muscle spasms may indicate foot deformation, including flat feet, which, contrary to popular belief, can develop not only in childhood, but also in adults.

Inflammation

If the foot swells and becomes hot, this indicates developing inflammation, which may also be associated with arthritis, which can destroy both small and large joints. With advanced inflammation of the soft tissues of the foot, surgical intervention may even be required, so it is very important to obtain medical advice as early as possible and begin treatment. Numbness of the foot This condition requires careful diagnosis, since it is not always associated with the condition of the foot itself. Numbness can also be caused by diseases of the blood vessels and spine. Thus, with deformation or degenerative diseases of the spinal column, the nerve roots may be damaged, which causes the sensitivity of the feet, buttocks or thighs to be impaired: numbness, a tingling sensation or “pins and needles” appear. If the soles of your feet are numb, the reasons for this should only be determined by a doctor after a thorough diagnosis, based on the results of which the correct treatment will be prescribed. What to do if a corn on your foot hurts? If a callus or corn causes discomfort, you can most often solve the problem yourself. However, you first need to examine the painful area and make sure that there is no:

“roots” at the growth;
purulent lesions or oozing fluid;
swelling or local fever;
unpleasant smell.

If nothing suspicious is found, you can safely get rid of calluses and corns using:

daily baths with salt or essential oils;
using pumice;
applying emollient cream;
special cosmetic socks with lactic acid.

If the formation has “roots”, it is most likely a so-called spine - a skin growth formed under the influence of the human papillomavirus. Please note: this pathology is highly contagious, so until you recover, do not walk around the house barefoot and refrain from visiting the pool. And, of course, do not put off visiting a dermatologist. It is this specialist who will tell you how to get rid of the unpleasant “gain” on your leg. If there are signs of inflammation and the appearance of pus, the help of a doctor is also required. Pain in the sole of the foot near the heel

Unpleasant sensations in the heel area can be caused by plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the ligament connecting the toes and heel bones. A painful growth on the heel bone is popularly called a “heel spur.” The risk of developing this condition is increased in people with high arches. The following can also cause the formation of spurs:

constantly wearing uncomfortable shoes;
overweight;
problems with blood circulation;
history of calcaneal injuries;
violation of load distribution on the foot;
frequent calluses;
violation of metabolic processes.

Acute pain, swelling and the development of a hematoma after a bruise or fall indicate a fracture of the heel bone. Without medical attention or improper treatment, this injury can cause chronic pain, lameness, and loss of sensation in the leg. The ball of the foot under the big toe hurts. Most often, pain in the ball of the foot is caused by metatarsalgia of the foot. This disease is indicated by:

numbness of fingers when wearing high-heeled shoes;
acute pain when squeezing the foot on both sides;
sensation of a “foreign object” in the foot area.

Another possible disease is Morton's neuroma. In this case, the tissue around the nerves grows and thickens. Less common is sesamoiditis, an occupational disease of ballerinas and runners. With this pathology, the tendons connecting the bones of the thumbs become inflamed or damaged. How to treat the ball of the foot if it hurts when walking can only be decided by a doctor, because improper treatment can aggravate the patient’s condition.

Pain in the toes or in the bone near them The reason why the soles of the feet hurt on the side or in the area of the toes is often gout. Due to impaired purine metabolism in this disease, uric acid crystals accumulate in the lower extremities. This causes periodic attacks of severe pain, increased pressure, swelling and deformation of the feet. Without treatment, gout leads to the formation of skin growths with white contents inside (tophi). In addition, uric acid compounds begin to settle in joints and internal organs.

Pain in the toe area can also be caused by injuries and degenerative diseases of cartilage tissue - arthritis and arthrosis.

Types of inflammation of the joints on the foot

Often the cause of pain in the ankle joint and the foot itself are inflammatory diseases.

The diagnosis of bursitis is made after an X-ray examination. The disease is an inflammation of the joint capsules, which are scientifically called bursae. It should be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs, chondroprotectors, and in difficult cases, even surgically.

Plantar fasciitis is a disease in which the foot becomes swollen and painful. Fascia, a strip of connective tissue, runs from the heel to the toes. It helps with shock absorption while driving. If you put too much stress on your foot, the fascia becomes inflamed. The instep and the side of the leg hurt. The pain syndrome manifests itself most prominently in the morning. There are cases when the fascia loses its elasticity and ossifies, forming a heel spur. She bites into the soft tissue and makes walking, in the literal sense of the word, “through torment.” Those who have experienced this condition describe it as stepping on nails.

Looking at the skin of your feet

The fact is that hormones regulate almost all processes in the human body. Disturbances in the synthesis of even one hormone lead to serious biochemical disorders and health problems. The skin is the first to react and clearly reflects these violations. When examining a patient, the doctor always pays attention to the condition of the skin. Dry, easily damaged, flaky skin and poorly healing wounds are signs of decreased thyroid function (hypothyroidism). As a rule, such patients have disorders of fat and carbohydrate metabolism and, as a result, excess body weight and diabetes.

If the skin on the feet is dry, peeling, cracking, you need to contact an endocrinologist and take a blood test (TSH, free T4, free T3, glucose, glycated hemoglobin, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, total testosterone). The beauty of a woman's skin is greatly influenced by the level of estrogen. The fact is that the level of estrogen affects the rate of skin cell renewal. A decrease in estrogen levels slows down skin regeneration processes, the skin ages quickly, the skin on the feet becomes rough, corns appear, cracks in the heels, infection can get into the cracks and cause an inflammatory process.

Everyone knows the saying that “the eyes are the mirror of the soul,” and about the legs we can say that “the legs are the mirror of our health.” Calluses and corns appear not only from narrow and uncomfortable shoes; on the feet there are reflex zones associated with all human organs. Based on the condition of the skin on the reflex zone, the presence of corns, and pain, one can judge the health status of the corresponding organ. If you regularly massage your feet, you can improve the health of the body as a whole.

Wrong move. Why flat feet lead to heart problems Read more

When the cause is poor circulation

If your feet go numb, the cause may be obliterating endarteritis. Although even a deeply ingrown callus or corns, pressing on blood vessels and nerves, can also cause numbness. In the case of endarteritis, the cause is circulatory disorders. Caused by smoking, it affects men over 30 years of age more often. In addition to pain and numbness, a person becomes extremely sensitive to hypothermia, feels weak, and limps. If left untreated, gangrene may even develop.

Varicose veins can also cause pain in the feet. While the disease has not greatly affected the condition of the veins, venotonics in the form of creams and capsules help; Elastic stockings and bandages prevent your feet from swelling. If the disease is in a severe stage, surgical intervention is indicated.

The answer to the question: my feet hurt: what should I do? It can be considered the one that prescribes the treatment of the underlying disease. All other approaches will only give a temporary effect.

Features of treatment

Surgery is required for infected wounds, the formation of purulent foci, or significant damage to joints or ligaments. In other cases, conservative treatment is sufficient, which is aimed at:

elimination of pain and swelling;
elimination of inflammatory foci;
improved blood circulation;
regeneration of articular tissues;
strengthening ligaments;
normalization of load distribution on the feet;
increasing local immunity;
restoration of foot functions.

To solve these problems, medications are used (anti-inflammatory drugs, chondroprotectors and others), as well as non-drug methods: physiotherapy, physical therapy and massage. Only an integrated approach can completely cope with pathologies that cause pain and numbness in the soles of the feet.

Diagnosis and treatment

Due to the significant variety of diseases that lead to painful feet, correct diagnosis is not only important, but can protect a person from disability. recommended

First, the patient sees a specialist, then undergoes an X-ray or tomography. At the same time, they determine the condition of the joints, muscles, ligaments, and what disease led to the appearance of alarming symptoms. Even an excellent specialist, without diagnostics and tests, will not tell you exactly why your feet hurt, what exactly needs to be done and how to treat them.

When the diagnosis is clear, a treatment regimen is prescribed. For example, traumatic factors are eliminated, infections are cured, joints and blood vessels are put in order. It is clear that every disease is treated symptomatically. Unconventional means are usually powerless. They help well with fatigue, but are ineffective for more serious causes of pain.

Foot structure

The specialist knows that the foot is equipped with 3 points of contact with the surface, called bone support: 2 located in the anterior section (toe), and 1 in the rear (heel).

The foot has as many as 24 bones, hundreds of muscles and a sufficient number of tendons and ligaments, designed to perform a spring function when a person moves.

Human toes are composed of phalanges of the foot skeleton, whose bones extend from the toes to the heel. The metatarsal bones are characterized by similarities with the metacarpus and phalanges of the fingers, but show less development - this is due to their less mobility. At the moment of walking with the ground, the heel, the side of the foot first encounters an obstacle, and only at the end - the balls of the sole, and then the toe.

The structure of the foot provides a soft load on the body as a whole (the arches are responsible for the softness: longitudinal and transverse).

Flat feet - a threat to conscripts - occurs in the process of flattening the arch (longitudinal), which is caused by deformation of the structure of the ligaments and muscles. Unfortunately, flat feet are not the only foot-related problem that awaits a person along the long journey of life.

Prevention

To prevent your legs from bothering you, you need to undergo regular examinations by specialists and identify diseases in the initial stages.

Limbs should not be overloaded;
It is recommended to choose comfortable shoes;
protect yourself from hypothermia;
introduce exercise and feasible physical activity into the regime;
monitor blood circulation;
normalize weight;
stick to a balanced diet.

Complications of diabetes in the legs

Diabetes is a disease associated with impaired glucose metabolism in the body. Insulin, a hormone synthesized in the pancreas, is responsible for the absorption of this substance. If there is not enough insulin or the tissues stop responding to it, then the sugar that we get from food accumulates in the bloodstream, which leads to serious biochemical disturbances, with severe damage to the walls of blood vessels, nervous tissue, mucous membranes, etc. A disproportion occurs . While some tissues suffer without glucose, others are damaged by its excess.

In diabetes mellitus, diabetic foot syndrome (abbreviated as DFS) develops, which primarily affects the vessels of the lower extremities and the peripheral nervous system, bone tissue and joints of the foot. The first signs are decreased sensitivity of the limbs (diabetic neuropathy), poor circulation in the arteries and small capillaries (diabetic micro- and macroangiopathy), deformation of the feet, dry skin, and cracks appear. Over time, trophic ulcers develop, which in turn develop into gangrene. Even a small crack can develop into an open ulcer.

The ball is at your feet. How to help tired feet and why it is important to do so Read more

Diagnosis of diseases

The ankle joint may be damaged or defective. To identify the problem, a diagnostic procedure is prescribed. It may consist of:

Ultrasound. This diagnostic method is rarely used due to the small size of the ankle joint. But, it allows you to detect a foreign body, swelling due to the accumulation of blood in the joint capsule and view the ligaments.
Arthroscopy
. A minimally invasive method that performs diagnostics by introducing a video camera into the capsule.
X-ray . The most economical way. It is allowed to take pictures in different projections. Able to detect tumor, fracture, dislocation and other processes.
MRI . The best type of diagnosis for the condition of the Achilles tendon, ligaments, cartilage. Expensive, but very effective.
CT scan . Helps assess the condition of the joint. It is considered the most reliable test for arthrosis, neoplasms and fractures.

Let's evaluate flat feet

The main causes of corns are foot deformation, prolonged wearing of narrow, incorrectly sized shoes, and high-heeled shoes. If there is no foot deformation or internal health problems, then you need to change your shoes to comfortable ones, and the corns will go away. If there is a foot deformity, then only individual insoles can help, which will compensate for the existing pathology.

You can remove corns in various ways, but if the cause of their appearance is not eliminated, they will form again. When making individual insoles, in about 30% of cases it is possible to completely get rid of corns. Standard ready-made insoles do not help. Therefore, I recommend that you contact a podiatrist (foot specialist) and figure out the reasons.

Swollen fingers

Swelling of the thumb is often interpreted as a sign of gout. However, this problem can be caused by various reasons. This may be due to injury, etc. Yes, gout often starts at the metatarsophalangeal joint. It manifests itself as severe pressing pain, the joint swells, the temperature in the joint area rises, the skin turns red, and the pain intensifies by night. The attack lasts from several days to a week.

Gout can be described as a chronic autoinflammatory disease. This is a severe systemic disease, which is characterized by metabolic disorders in the body and is caused by excess uric acid in the blood. Due to the similarity of symptoms, gout is often confused with other joint diseases, so you should immediately consult a doctor. Treatment approaches are different for different diseases.