What causes pain in the foot?

Your foot is comprised of your tarsal and metatarsal bones, along with supporting ligaments and tendons. Touch the top of any one of your toes and trace the bone down to the centre of your foot. Your fingers will eventually trace a bone called your metatarsal. Attached to your toe bones, these five metatarsal bones help you stand, walk, and run by distributing your weight evenly to keep you balanced. Connected to your metatarsals, near the back of your foot, are seven tarsal bones. Together, your tarsals and metatarsals form your arch. An important structure connected to your arch is your posterior tibialis tendon. This muscle originates behind your shin bone, runs inside your ankle, and attaches to several of your tarsal bones within your arch. This tendon is responsible for maintaining a healthy, supportive arch during your everyday activities.

When any of these arch-related bones, ligaments, and tendons are weakened or injured from overuse, excessive activity, or wear and tear from ageing, then you may start experiencing arch pain.

Remedies:

Orthotics or shoe inserts. These will help support your arch, stabilize your heel, and ease some of the stress on your posterior tibialis tendon.
Arch supports. Specialized arch supports help relieve some of your arch pain and discomfort. Make sure you know your arch type (low, medium, or high) since the shape and height of your arch support should match your arch type and height.
Strengthen your muscles. Work on strengthening your tibialis posterior muscle and stretching your Achilles tendon. These two muscles are instrumental in affecting your arch pain and any pronation you might experience.
Wear comfortable and supportive shoes with insoles that fully support the arch. Depending on your lifestyle, your shoes and insoles need to support both your everyday activities (like work) and more intense activities (such as running, jogging, or sports).
Wear night splints. Night splints help alleviate pressure on your arches by keeping your muscles properly positioned and strengthened while you sleep.
Use cold therapy. Massagers, wraps, and other forms of cold therapy help alleviate arch pain and discomfort.

Generally when we look at the components of the foot, it has mostly bones, tendons, ligaments and multiple pressure point. When you look at the body surface area, the soles of both feet accounts for 3.5% of the total. This 3.5% bears the entire weight of the body.

Odd postures,imporper walking/exercise techniques, abnormal distribution of weight, obesity, early wear and tear, Vitadmin D defeinceis and some diseases (diabetic/rheumatiod joint degneration) all can trigger pain in the foot.

What causes the the heel of the foot to pain when walking when it's cold?

Keeping the above in mind, we have to consider the changes that happen when the weather becomes cold. In cold weather, chagnes in barometric pressure the joint fluid becomes thicker, the tendons and muscles can epxand and tense up. All this put to gether makes the joints become more stiffer, leading to increase pain.

some times at the heel there is small new bony projection called as calcaneal spur. This also contributes to pain when we walk because the one of the crucial steps in walking in the heel strike.

What causes the arch or centre of the foot to pain when walking even though you don't wear high heels.

One need not wear high heels to get arch pain. We can have pain like we discussed above because the arches also have bone, tendons and ligaments. The sole of the foot has tiny compartment of fat to evenly distribute the pressure. Along with this we have the plantar fascia that can get affected by disease or inflammation.This also can lead on to arch pain. Apart form this we would have minor injuries, sprains or twists that happen regularly contributing to the pain.

One has to keep in mind the joint disease like rhuematiod arthiritis, Gout and osteo-arthirtis that worse heel and foot arch pain.

First would be to have formal assesment by a good orthopaedic surgeon and or a rheumatologist or a pracittioner or allied medicine based on your choice because, self management can be tricky or sometimes harmful. SOme patients use over the counter pain killers that can affect the kidneys in the long run.


I would suggest to get yourself assessed once at least.Based on your foot condition, the specialist would suggest footwear modification, use of micro cellular rubber soles, heel pad pressure absorbents and arch supports.They have graded exercises to help in relieving pain and prevent worsening of the condition.

You can also practice general measures like reducing weight ( to reduce to load on the foot), using walking aids, use of probiotics. Please reduce intake of sugar, processed food, alcohol and tobacco that can make joint pains and arthritis worse.

Follow the below remedies to get rid of foot pain.
*Wash feet everyday and soak your feet in cold water every night.
*Apply ice pack one sore feet for about 20 minutes daily to get instant relief.
*Buy a roller specifically designed to massage the soles of the feet.
*Fill a bowl with hot water and add two drops of peppermint oil, along with 4 drops each of rosemary oil. Soak for ten minutes.

It is common to many people to feel pain in the heels(and also cracking of skin) during cold season. Not all will feel the pain. Certain people are prone to such pains. Applying some moisturising cream on the heel and sides,before going to bed and covering feet with a socks and allowing to remain overnight can bring relief to many. In the morning keeping the feet immersed in comfortably warm water with some common slat dissolved in it also can bring relief. Usually the problem vanishes when the cold season changes to warmer season. Usually those with 'Pitha' characteristic are more prone to such problems. Wearing comfortable shoes with socks and preventing exposure to cold atmosphere also can bring relief. Those who are prone to Vaata aggravation also may suffer from such problems.
Not only that certain surfaces also aggravate such problems and pain during cold seasons.The modern glazed tiles cause such burning or pain in the heels . The solutions is to wear comfortable socks and prevent exposure to such surfaces. Whenever possible ,walk or stand if more time standing is needed,over coir surfaces or wooden or clothed surfaces and carpets.

Now,the second issue-pain on the arch of the foot.
This is caused by the extra load or uneven load on the foot. That can happen due to wrong postures while walking and standing, insufficient rest and relaxation for the feet etc. If it is only on one foot, it can be due to some other reasons like that of some blind injury due to hit or crush, suffered while playing or running or jogging.
Initially applying some external applications like common pain relieving cream and gels may be tried. The affected foot/feet may be given some extra rest and relaxation by placing it comfortably on a stool, tea-poy etc.
Mild massaging or rubbing of legs by own hand,especially the lower leg and the arch surface after waking up in the mornings can also give some relief.
Sometimes the reason may be due to the overweight of the person. If so, even some reduction of body weight can bring very good relief.

However by resorting to above methods, there is no steady improvement, but not aggravated also, then the reason may be due to rheumatic reasons or even gout-accumulation of Urea. But this has to be confirmed by clinical and lab tests. as per advice of a doctor.

In case you are already diagnosed for diabetes, then do not do self medication, but consult a doctor.

There are many reasons for pain in the feet. Some of the common reasons are minor damage in ligaments and muscles, weakness in bones and bone joints, general fatigue etc.

This requires a thorough investigation by an orthopaedic physician.

If a person is not habitual of walking and exercises and leads a sedentary lifestyle he can encounter this type of problem as the legs will not be able to support the weight of the body.

It is believed that a good lifestyle with proper food intake and regular exercises can overcome these problems of pain in feet or limbs if it is not due to some reason like infection or disease.

Pain is a symptom and it signifies some disorder in the body. This could be due to some musculo-skeleton problem or due to some ailment. The differentiation is not very easy to make and only an expert physician can make it out, that also after getting the requisite medical tests are done.

If the pain is due to muscular or ligament fatigue or weakness then the body will heal it itself in some time and only caution is to avoid strenuous work but continue light exercises and walking.

On the other hand, if the pain is due to some ailment in the body then the physician will diagnose the same and prescribe the necessary treatment. Sometimes minor corrective surgery may also be required to bring the muscles and ligaments to normal place.

Weight control and diet control is also an important aspect as sometimes such problems are found in bulky and heavyweight persons.

Continuous pain in your feet signifies that there is some serious problem in your feet. Our feet is made with certain types of bones, muscle, tendons and ligaments. So, may be there is an injury or some sprains in muscles can result in such a pain. People who are over active or sport persons suffers from such problems.
I also have suffered from same problems. Along with the medicines my doctor adviced me for not to wear heels and use some soft type of shoes. I did the same, used a flat soft medicated shoe. Do a cold and hot compress simultaneously to your feet. Try to give rest to your feet and try to sit every time avoiding standing. And seriously it work's.
Apart from this you can try to control your weight as extra body weight also can be a valid reason for pain in your feet.
So, do not neglect it as negligence can do a severe damage and pain in your feet. Try to consult an arthopedic Doctor Who can really give you the right solution so that you can get rid from pain in your feet.