Everyone experiences unpleasant sensations on the plantar part of the foot from time to time. Some people are bothered by them extremely rarely, for example after a long walk in uncomfortable shoes. For others, foot pain between the heel and toe occurs frequently or constantly. In any case, you should know that unpleasant sensations do not appear just like that, but for some reason. To find out why there is pain in the foot between the heel and toe when walking or at rest, you need to see a doctor and undergo diagnostic procedures. In some cases, to eliminate the discomfort, it is enough to just change your shoes, in others, surgical intervention will be required. Therefore, it is very important to find out the cause of unpleasant sensations.
The foot is the part of the leg that comes into contact with the surface when walking. It consists of many bones, joints and ligaments. There is also plantar fascia and muscles to provide motor function and support the arches. In addition, this part of the body contains adipose tissue. It is needed to help the bones and ligaments support the weight of the body. If pain occurs in the foot between the heel and toe, then the cause of its occurrence may be any of the anatomical formations. Unpleasant sensations appear when bones, ligaments, muscles or fascia are damaged. Pain also occurs under the influence of external factors affecting the foot (improper position of the foot, compressive shoes). For the unpleasant sensations to stop, it is enough to get rid of such irritants. If the pain in the foot does not go away after this, it is necessary to look for other reasons for its occurrence. In this case, you should seek medical help.
There are many etiological factors that can lead to pain in the foot area. Among them: injuries to the skeletal system, stretched muscle tissue, inflammatory lesions, pinched nerves, etc. Also, pain in the foot between the heel and toe can be caused by joint pathologies. In addition, discomfort is often associated with poor circulation. It can be either temporary (when the foot is compressed) or permanent. The following reasons for the development of unpleasant sensations are considered the most common:
A heel spur is a hard lump that appears on the tendons of the foot. It consists of bone tissue. Having appeared, the spur begins to gradually grow. This disease is one of the most common causes of foot pain. A heel spur develops due to severe stretching of the plantar fascia. In addition, excess weight is considered to be the cause of its appearance. With a small size of the formation, the patient is bothered by pain in the foot between the heel and toe in the morning - after the person gets out of bed. Also, unpleasant sensations occur after sitting for a long time. When the heel spur has reached a large size, the pain is constant. It is present not only when standing up and leaning on the leg, but also when walking.
Another cause of pain is flat feet. This pathology is often asymptomatic, but is sometimes accompanied by unpleasant sensations. The mechanism of development of this disease is the lowering of the arch of the foot down towards the sole. Most often, this pathology occurs in childhood, when the leg is just developing. However, pain in the foot between the heel and toe with flat feet can also appear in an adult. Provoking factors are obesity and physical activity. Calcium deficiency in osteoporosis also contributes to the development of pathology.
Often, unpleasant sensations in the sole can be caused by physical activity. For example, after running or long walking, some discomfort occurs. The cause may be plantar fasciitis. That is, pain in the foot between the heel and toe after running occurs due to sprained ligaments. Sometimes it goes away on its own. But with constant physical activity, the ligaments do not have time to return to normal. In this case, fasciitis of the sole develops. In addition, pain after exercise can be caused by dislocations of the small joints of the foot. Another reason is inflammatory diseases of the ligaments and muscles. Also, unpleasant sensations often occur when blood circulation in the foot is impaired. Vascular lesions are often associated with varicose veins of the lower extremities and pathologies of the hematopoietic system.
In addition to foot pain, each of the diseases mentioned above is accompanied by a number of other symptoms. Inflammatory processes in the muscles are manifested by redness and swelling of the leg. If the pain is caused by a pinched nerve of the foot, then the patient may experience discomfort in the form of “shooting” in the arch of the foot or sole. Bone injuries are always accompanied by limited movement. When a heel spur appears, pain accompanies every contact of the sole with the surface. You can also feel a hard formation if you press on the foot. When the joints are dislocated, a protrusion appears on the back side. Arthritis of large and small joints of the foot is characterized by signs of inflammation. Among them: swelling, hyperemia and increased temperature at the site of the lesion.
Diagnosis of foot pathologies begins with interviewing the patient. The doctor asks how often the patient is bothered by unpleasant sensations, after which they appear, and to what he associates the onset of pain. If the survey revealed that there was a leg injury, fractures and dislocations should be excluded. To do this, an x-ray of the bones of the foot is performed. If the patient is overweight or indicates frequent physical activity, you should pay attention to the patient’s gait. In this case, plantar fasciitis is often diagnosed. A heel spur is identified on an x-ray. Vascular diseases are diagnosed using ultrasound of the arteries and veins of the lower extremities. Nerve pathologies appear when pressure is applied to certain areas of the foot. Calluses and ulcers on the feet indicate wearing tight shoes.
The choice of treatment method depends on what is causing the foot pain. In cases where discomfort occurs only periodically or is associated with physical exercise, it is necessary to follow the correct regimen. First of all, it is important to pay attention to shoes. If it causes discomfort, then you need to change it. If you have flat feet, you need to purchase special orthopedic insoles. It is equally important to organize rest for your legs. To do this, it is recommended to reduce physical activity and eliminate running for a while. If these measures do not lead to a positive result, you should seek the help of a specialist. For injuries and heel spurs, you should visit a surgeon. After examining and identifying the cause, he will prescribe medication, and in some cases, recommend surgery. Sometimes the help of a neurologist is required. To relieve discomfort, painkillers are prescribed: Ketonal, Nise. For inflammation of the joints, medications “Artoxan” and “Diclofenac” are indicated. Treatment of neurological pathologies is carried out with the drugs “Melbek”, “Neurobeks”. Also, in some cases, massage procedures are necessary.
In addition, you should use traditional methods to relieve pain in the foot between the heel and toe. Treatment with infusions and decoctions will not get rid of the cause of the pathology, but will help relieve unpleasant symptoms. In addition to taking medications orally, it is recommended to make various lotions, as well as foot baths. They are made from leaves of linden blossom and mint (in equal proportions), nettle, and plantain. After infusion, the broth is poured into a basin of water, where the feet should be kept for about 15 minutes. These procedures help relieve inflammation and relieve pain. Compresses made from honey and raw potatoes are also used.
To prevent foot pain, you must follow the following rules: