Why pain occurs when walking and how to fix it

Possible causes of foot pain when walking

Many factors can cause foot pain. The most dangerous of them are injuries, as well as chronic diseases that develop slowly, but without treatment lead to loss of sensitivity and the inability to move normally. The reasons why a person has foot pain and it hurts to step on his foot may be diseases from the following groups:

1. orthopedic;
2. neurological;
3. vascular.

Unfortunately, with many foot pathologies, deviations of all three types develop over time, which complicates diagnosis and treatment. Thus, with joint diseases, complications associated with the condition of the nerves and blood vessels may appear: compression of the nerve roots, narrowing of blood vessels, impaired blood circulation and other disorders. To identify the root cause of pain in such cases, a comprehensive diagnosis is required.

Pain in the joints of the foot when walking can be aggravated by the following factors:

• smoking (causes poor circulation);
• hypothermia;
• frequent injuries;
• past infections;
• wearing uncomfortable shoes;
• excessive sports activities;
• obesity;
• dehydration.

Most often, pain is caused by prolonged wearing of incorrectly selected shoes. At the same time, both sneakers and ballet shoes with flat soles and shoes with excessively high heels have an equally bad effect on the condition of the foot. Shoes with flat soles deform the foot over time, often leading to flat feet. Addiction to high heels is fraught with deformation of the toes and arch of the foot. However, the chances of correcting the deformity if you consult a doctor in a timely manner are high: acquired disorders in the early stages can be successfully treated conservatively with the help of physical therapy and massage.

Please note: if the reason why your feet hurt and it hurts to walk is an injury, contacting a traumatologist is mandatory, no matter how minor the injury may seem. Neglected injuries lead to various chronic diseases and gradual destruction of the osseous-ligamentous apparatus.

Arterial diseases

Pain in the legs is caused by:

• atherosclerosis of the arteries of the lower extremities;
• obliterating endarteritis;
• thromboangitis obliterans;
• embolism and arterial thrombosis.

Atherosclerosis of the arteries of the lower extremities

Among diseases of the arteries of the lower extremities, atherosclerosis is the most common - in almost 90% of cases. It refers to obliterating vascular diseases (obliterating - leading to closure, fusion). Previously, the disease mainly affected older men. Unfortunately, there is now a tendency towards rejuvenation of this disease, and atherosclerosis occurs even in middle age. Cases of obliterating atherosclerosis in women have also become more frequent.

Risk factors are well known - smoking, low physical activity, lifestyle changes, hereditary factors, hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, liver and biliary tract diseases, obesity, high cholesterol in the blood.

During the disease process, plaques consisting of cholesterol, other fats, calcium and connective tissue form on the inner walls of the arteries. The lumen of the arteries narrows. At rest, arterial circulation in the lower extremities may be sufficient, but during physical activity the increased oxygen demand of the muscles cannot be satisfied. The muscles respond to this with pain, which is how intermittent claudication appears. When walking, especially uphill, pain occurs in the calf muscles, forcing the patient to periodically stop for it to pass. If pain occurs in the entire leg, it means that the arteries at the pelvic level are affected by the pathological process. Unlike radiculitis, pain does not depend on sudden movements or turns of the body.

Instead of pain, you may experience cramps, weakness, or a feeling of heaviness in your legs.

The legs become cold and pale, and no pulse can be felt on them. At the last stage, trophic ulcers and foci of gangrene may form. If gangrene develops, amputation of the affected limb may be necessary to save the patient's life. Often, especially with high occlusions, when necrosis develops on the fingers, amputation is performed at the level of the upper third of the thigh, since with lower amputations it is difficult to achieve healing of the postoperative wound.

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Obliterating endarteritis

The International Classification of Diseases ICD-10 does not provide for such a diagnosis. It is necessary to use other diagnoses specified in this document - “arterial atherosclerosis”, “thromboangiitis obliterans”, “other specified peripheral vascular diseases”, “other unspecified peripheral vascular diseases”.

The disease affects mainly middle-aged and even young men. The exact cause of the disease is still not known. The role of cold and mechanical trauma, as well as autoimmune processes, is suggested.

The small arteries of the legs are affected. Unlike atherosclerosis, which develops gradually, obliterating endarteritis is characterized by an undulating course - exacerbations alternate with remissions. The symptoms and complications and outcomes are almost the same - intermittent claudication, possible amputation due to gangrene, etc.

Thrombangitis obliterans (Berger's disease)

This is a “disease of young men who smoke.” An autoimmune mechanism of development is suggested. Exacerbations alternate with remissions. Every second patient undergoes amputation at the level of the fingers, foot or thigh.

A feature of thromboangiitis obliterans and endarteritis is the symmetry of the damage to the extremities and the possible involvement in the process of not only the lower, but also the upper extremities. At the same time, atherosclerotic lesions are often unilateral and affect almost exclusively the legs.

Embolism and arterial thrombosis

In embolism, an artery is blocked by some substance (in thrombosis, a blood clot).

In the area fed by the blocked artery, diffuse pain occurs. The limb first turns pale, then turns blue. Her pulse can no longer be felt. Numbness appears, and in severe cases paralysis may develop. In such cases, if treatment is not started in a timely manner, everything ends with rapidly developing ischemia, wet gangrene and amputation of the limb.

The most common foot diseases

The most common reason why your foot hurts when you step on it after a long period of rest is fasciitis, that is, inflammation of the connective tissue, which can be accompanied by severe swelling. Often this disease causes a complication such as a heel spur.

If the pain appears suddenly (usually at night) and is accompanied by cramps, increasing swelling, and fever, then the cause of the pain is most likely gout. With this disease, excess amounts of uric acid accumulate in the body - first in the joints and tophi under the skin, and then in the internal organs. Infectious arthritis has a similar clinical picture. Typically, inflammation develops when an infection enters a joint through a wound or after a previous

illness, such as a sore throat or food poisoning.

If pain appears regularly, its cause may be arthrosis or non-infectious arthritis. These pathologies of cartilage tissue are distinguished by the following characteristic features:

• the appearance of clicks and crunches when moving fingers and walking;
• constant discomfort, turning into pain with fatigue or prolonged exercise;
• decreased mobility;
• frequent swelling.

Connective tissue diseases can be controlled, and in the early stages even completely eliminated with the help of complex therapy. However, in the absence of adequate care, arthrosis and arthritis lead to severe deformation of the foot, constant pain and decreased mobility.

How to treat fasciitis correctly

The most effective and lasting treatment is always aimed at eliminating the cause of the disease. The main factors in the development of fasciitis are overload of the foot and decreased elasticity of the fascia. Therefore, actions aimed at unloading the arches and improving the quality of the ligaments lead to the most noticeable results. Most importantly, effective treatments for fasciitis are safe.

Plantar fasciitis is a disease that requires the active participation of the patient himself. Of course, it seems easier to give the injection and forget about the pain. But until the patient himself improves the functioning of his body, the symptoms will return and increase. Below are the most effective methods for finally getting rid of pain between the toe and heel:

• High-quality orthopedic insoles. It's better if they are individual. The elastic protrusions of the instep supports massage the aponeurosis, improve its blood circulation and elasticity. The right insoles support the arches well and relieve excess stress on the fascia.

• Physical exercise. A competent rehabilitator will describe a training regimen and “stretching” that will work most effectively for you. With regular exercise, it is possible to increase the elasticity of the fascia and muscles, which will significantly reduce discomfort.
• Night tires. Durable plates that are worn on the leg during sleep and improve the metabolism of the aponeurosis. During the night period, body tissues are most pliable, which gives the splint the opportunity to effectively increase their elasticity.

Medtechnika Orthosalon stores are professional establishments where you can undergo foot diagnostics and select the most suitable orthopedic products. A large selection of therapeutic and prophylactic insoles, massagers and splints allows you to individually approach any form of fasciitis. Experienced consultants will help you decide on the optimal models to improve the performance of your feet.

Unobvious causes of foot pain when stepping on your foot

Prolonged dehydration or lack of minerals can cause spasms and cramps in the feet and legs. The same symptoms sometimes appear with excessive coffee consumption and lack of sleep. Pain in the head, heart or back, as well as in the legs can cause nervous stress.

Diseases of the spine, hip and knee joints can also lead to painful feet. The immediate causes of pain in such cases are circulatory disorders, compression of the nerve roots and improper distribution of the load on the torso and limbs. Feedback is also possible: advanced pathologies of the feet sometimes lead to the development of diseases of the spine or large joints of the legs. Unpleasant sensations in the feet can also be caused by vascular diseases, including varicose veins. The following signs indicate that pain is caused by circulatory problems:

• constant coldness of the feet;
• cyanosis of the skin;
• frequent spasms;
• burning sensation in the veins;
• swollen, knotty or hidden veins;
• the presence of small pinpoint hemorrhages.

Other reasons

Answering the question of why heels hurt in the morning, it is worth listing a number of other reasons that directly or indirectly influence the occurrence of this phenomenon. Heel pain can be general or local. The reasons are as follows:

• long running or walking;
• intensive exercises on leg exercise machines;
• age-related changes;
• systemic diseases (arthritis, gout, ankylosing spondylitis);
• infectious diseases (bone tuberculosis, osteomyelitis, bursitis);
• chronic diseases of the musculoskeletal system;
• injuries (rupture or sprain of tendons, bruises, fractures, inflammatory processes);
• diabetes;
• tumors and formations of a malignant nature;
• Sever's disease.

Often the patient is diagnosed with neuropathy. This is inflammation of the nerve endings, increasing the sensitivity of the feet, creating a feeling of “turning out”. In this case, the person experiences acute pain. And the chronic phase is characterized by redness of the heels and the formation of a trophic ulcer. Regardless of the type of disease, it is imperative to begin treatment after examination by a doctor, who will determine the exact diagnosis.

Diagnosis of foot pain

If you are sure that the pain is not related to injury, you should seek help from a neurologist or orthopedist. The doctor will conduct an examination, evaluate reflexes and mobility of the foot, study your medical history and refer you to diagnostic procedures:

• X-ray;
• MRI;
• CT;
• Ultrasound of joints and blood vessels;
• lab tests.

In some cases, examination of the knee and hip joints and spine may be required. Only after the doctor finds out exactly why the foot hurts when walking, will he be able to determine how to properly treat this ailment.

Gout

With gout, the foot hurts not only when walking, but also accompanies the patient throughout the day. Gout is a disease characterized by joint changes. The problem is most often localized in the area of ​​the big toes, but without proper treatment the pathology spreads to the joints of other toes and even hands.

The joints are modified due to the accumulation of urea crystals - a lump is formed. A protruding joint causes severe pain, especially when wearing tight shoes and during long walks.

Features of treatment

If your feet hurt when you walk, you probably won't need surgery. Surgery is necessary only when purulent processes are detected, as well as in cases of severe damage or deformation of joints and tendons. In other cases, conservative methods are used:

• taking medications;
• physiotherapy;
• exercise therapy;
• massage;
• diet;
• wearing orthopedic devices.

Treatment is usually long-term in nature, as its goal is to correct all changes in the anatomy of the foot caused by injury or disease. Wearing orthopedic shoes or special insoles and liners, massage and physical therapy can restore mobility and endurance of the foot. At first, if you have difficulty walking, you can use a cane. A combination of medications and physiotherapy helps:

• eliminate pain syndrome;
• eliminate inflammation and swelling;
• restore the osseous-ligamentous apparatus;
• normalize blood circulation.

Symptoms

With a variety of causes for heel pain, the symptoms of discomfort also vary. It is not for nothing that the doctor begins collecting anamnesis by clarifying the nature of the pain in order to understand in which direction to move. So, different diseases entail different sensations when they occur:

• throbbing pain in the form of alternating impulses;
• severe acute pain, constantly disturbing;
• periodic pain that occurs locally or everywhere;
• systematic morning and/or evening pain (often occurring immediately after overwork);
• redness;
• numbness;
• heat in the foot area;
• swelling and swelling;
• fever.

It is noteworthy that the initial stages of almost all diseases are asymptomatic.