A large number of people of different ages suffer from foot pain. However, not everyone takes this problem seriously enough. Is it necessary, you ask? Certainly. After all, the cause of pain can be not only orthopedic, but also complex neurological pathologies. Let's take a closer look at why it occurs and how to get rid of unpleasant sensations.
The foot is one of the most important subsystems of the human skeleton, since thanks to it we can walk, leaning on both legs. Therefore, she is exposed to severe stress every day, as a result of which she often suffers. The structure of the foot is made up of more than 10 joints and includes more than 15 bones. As soon as one element in this complex system fails, problems begin.
According to doctors, most often discomfort in the foot occurs due to wearing uncomfortable shoes. Platforms, high heels, narrow toes, flat soles - all this can lead to deformation of the leg skeleton and cause discomfort. If we add to this the increased load on the lower extremities and excess weight, the pain will appear one hundred percent. Prolonged bed rest can also cause muscle and bone wasting.
As a rule, pain in the lower extremities occurs after prolonged physical activity, and as soon as you rest for a couple of hours, everything goes away.
But if your legs and feet hurt for a long time and severely, what should you do in this case? It’s definitely worth contacting a specialist who will conduct an external examination and take an x-ray. If the traumatologist is unable to solve the problem, you should contact a rheumatologist or neurologist.
After identifying the cause of the discomfort, treatment is prescribed. It depends on the nature and stage of the disease. In case of flat feet, doctors prescribe orthopedic shoes or special insoles that fit into regular ones. Pinched nerves can be treated with exercise or manual therapy. In cases of ingrown toenails, impaired blood supply, and progressive neuromas, surgical intervention is performed.
In case of inflammatory changes in joints and tissues, when the limbs are very painful, treatment is carried out with the help of anti-inflammatory drugs. For osteoporosis, doctors prescribe hormonal medications, vitamins, and calcium supplements.
Whatever the causes of the disease of the lower extremities, it is best to undergo a comprehensive examination. And to avoid this problem, it is enough to lead a healthy lifestyle and not overwork your legs. Eat foods rich in calcium every day, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, wear comfortable shoes, do exercises, rest after physical work - and foot pain will never bother you.
The legs are the most loaded part of our body, and when walking, special pressure is placed on the foot. Incorrectly chosen shoes or diseases can lead to pain in the feet. What could be the reasons, what to do and how to treat - we will consider further.
The cause of pain can be either a disease of the foot itself or an external factor that directly affects it. The following list includes both reasons:
In order to correctly diagnose the cause of pain, you need to consult a specialist. But first you need to understand which doctor to go to. You can consult on this issue online on our website. If the appearance of unpleasant sensations was preceded by an injury, then you should immediately go to a traumatologist to avoid fractures and serious injuries. If a person observes a nail growing into a finger, then the help of a surgeon (in case of a severe defect). In other cases, you first need to visit a general practitioner ( therapist ), and he will give a referral to a neurologist, orthopedist, rheumatologist or surgeon .
Diagnosis is carried out in the following ways:
Treatment of pain is carried out under supervision and according to the recommendations of a doctor. You can resort to traditional methods, but in case of serious illnesses this should only be done in consultation with a specialist. Moderate physical exercise is also suitable for both treatment and prevention of foot pain.
Given the diverse nature of the causes of pain, treatment methods can vary dramatically:
For all of the above diseases, physiotherapy, leg and foot massage and physical therapy can be prescribed.
Let's look at the most popular ways to treat pain at home:
There are various types of exercises aimed specifically at warming up the feet:
All exercises are repeated 5-10 times.
To prevent foot pain you need to:
In any case, foot pain cannot be normal, and tired legs are no exception. This will be confirmed by specialists from the online consultation service on our website. This problem requires a professional approach and timely treatment. You should not self-medicate, especially with acute pain. This can cause harm, and the pain can intensify and prevent you from walking. The right recommendations and their implementation will help keep your feet in order.
If your feet are burning, this may indicate diseases of varying degrees of complexity and neglect. It is important to realize that this phenomenon is a symptom and not an independent pathology. What to do if this symptom affects you? First, let's try to understand its nature.
The causes of illness are not always related directly to the lower extremities. Sometimes the pathology is systemic in nature. What is most often found with this symptom?
What to do if your feet burn at night? This symptom may indicate either a dangerous pathology or stress experienced during the day or mental fatigue.
Materials and substances that come into contact with the skin on your soles can cause an allergic reaction in the body. Most often, the problem lies in the insoles or poor-quality material of the shoes you wear. If you've been wearing shoes like these all day, don't wonder why your feet burn at night. Also be prepared for severe itching and red spots.
The problem sometimes lies in the poor quality of the fabrics from which:
Other substances that cause allergies:
Cosmetics may be of low quality, but more often they are simply past their expiration date. In this case, the feet will begin to itch immediately after applying the drug to the skin.
With this disease, venous vessels can dilate and lengthen. Any part of the body is susceptible to deformation, but most often the disease affects the legs below the knees. Risk factors include:
People with varicose veins often complain of a burning sensation in the calf area, the texture of their socks can be imprinted on their skin, and their shoes begin to restrict movement. Often such patients suffer from cramps, the veins in their legs swell and become deformed. Treatment of varicose veins is conservative:
Medication, laser treatment and sclerotherapy are also used. In emergency cases, surgical intervention is allowed.
This disease can develop in a patient with a destabilized metabolism. The level of uric acid in the blood increases, and crystals of this substance can be deposited in tissues and organs.
The main impact of gout is on the joints. Therefore, if your toes are burning, this is another reason to be wary - this is where the course of the disease begins. What to do if you know you have gout? The set of actions is as follows:
Once a pregnant woman reaches the third trimester, she may begin to complain that the heels of her feet are burning. This means that pregnancy occurs with a complication, the name of which is gestosis (a form of late toxicosis). With this disease, the legs not only burn, but also swell, and the process begins with the feet, and then spreads to the stomach and face. The disease is also accompanied by an increase in protein levels in the urine and blood, and increased blood pressure.
Swelling leads to compression of internal organs - that’s why the legs burn below the knees. An additional factor is excess weight, which a woman inevitably gains over time.
If the mentioned symptom is detected, you must seek medical help . It is important to know that warm and hot baths are strictly not recommended. We also do not recommend floating your feet.
The best thing in this situation is to take a contrast shower. A good remedy is also foot baths, in which there is an alternating (1-2 minutes) change of cold and hot water. The procedure lasts about 25 minutes. After this, the affected area is wiped dry and smeared with mint cream. The direction of lubrication is upward from the foot.
Baths can be combined with herbal therapy by adding chamomile, mint, linden blossom, calendula and wormwood. First, the herbs (they can be mixed in equal proportions) are infused in hot water.
In addition, the following are helpful:
All these methods are suitable for first aid, but you should not forget that burning feet are just a symptom. In-depth therapy aimed at curing a specific illness can be developed exclusively in a clinic.
Let us mention some recipes that can temporarily relieve discomfort.
Try to periodically take off your shoes and walk barefoot. This stimulates blood circulation well and prevents blood clots.
Eliminate carbonated drinks, beer, seasonings, and spicy foods from your diet. Don't overuse salt. All of these products serve as catalysts for the development of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, and also contribute to lymph stagnation and worsen venous circulation.
The burning sensation in the feet that people sometimes experience is quite unpleasant.
If this symptom appears regularly and causes significant discomfort to a person, it is imperative to determine the reasons why the soles of the feet are burning and begin treatment with medications and folk remedies.
This ailment is not an independent disease . If your feet regularly burn, look for the cause in systemic diseases.
Most often, this symptom accompanies the following pathologies:
The feeling that the soles of your feet are burning may be an allergic reaction to the materials that the skin of your feet comes into contact with.
These could be low-quality insoles, synthetic socks, creams and lotions used for foot care. New washing powder and even flooring can lead to allergies.
If the discomfort is of an allergic nature, in addition to a burning sensation, you may also notice obvious manifestations of a reaction on the skin.
The latter may become covered with a rash or red spots accompanied by itching. If the culprit of burning feet is an allergic reaction, in order to get rid of the unpleasant symptom, it is enough to prevent skin contact with the irritant.
Vascular pathologies in the lower extremities can also lead to a burning sensation in the feet.
All of these problems require complex treatment under the guidance of a vascular surgeon . The doctor will prescribe you a course of blood thinning and vascular wall strengthening therapy. During the treatment period, it is recommended to walk more.
A fungal infection can also cause itching and burning of the skin of the feet. Mycosis is the most common reason why the feet burn . You can become infected with fungus in public places - swimming pools, baths and saunas.
Initially, the disease is localized in the interdigital folds, where it causes peeling. Then the fungal infection spreads to neighboring areas of the skin, and it begins to itch, redden and burn.
Fungus should be eliminated under the supervision of a dermatologist . Based on laboratory tests, a specialist will determine how to treat the disease and select the necessary medications that can combat mycocolonies that have affected your skin.
Not only vascular diseases and fungal skin infections can lead to burning feet. Pathologies of the nervous system, in particular vegetative-vascular dystonia, can also cause this symptom.
The syndrome is characterized by specific symptoms: dizziness, regular presyncope, sudden tachycardia and pressure surges.
In diabetes mellitus, the level of insulin is reduced or not produced at all by the endocrine system, which causes the concentration of glucose in the body to increase.
An excess of sugar has a strong effect on small peripheral vessels, damaging their structure. First, painful sensations appear in the feet after walking, then a burning sensation occurs in the fingers and feet.
As blood vessels are damaged in diabetes mellitus, these sensations begin to appear at rest. Damaged capillaries die, and the skin on the feet becomes pale and blue in the periphery.
If you miss the development of this process and do not adjust the treatment of diabetes, ulcers will appear on the lower extremities, and gradually the tissue will begin to die.
The feeling that your feet are burning can cause a metabolic disorder such as gout . It is characterized by an increase in the level of uric acid in the blood, the crystals of which are deposited in tissues and organs.
The small peripheral vessels of the lower extremities begin to suffer most from gout.
A burning sensation in the fingers and toes is the very first sign of the development of gout . If you feel them, you should contact a rheumatologist.
Deficiency of B vitamins usually manifests itself as a burning sensation in the feet..
Thus, small vessels in the lower extremities react to the lack of substances important for metabolic processes.
In addition to this specific symptom, with a deficiency of B vitamins, evening and night cramps and deterioration in the condition of nails and skin are noted.
Taking a course of multivitamins and adjusting your diet will help solve this problem . The diet must include fresh vegetables, meat and offal.
Pregnant women may experience a burning sensation in their feet during the third trimester..
An increase in weight, and therefore increased load on the lower extremities, leads to increased pressure in the vessels of the legs and the occurrence of swelling. All this reduces blood flow to the feet.
The treating gynecologist, in response to your complaints, recommends that you restrain your fluid intake and lie more often with your legs elevated on pillows.
If the feeling that your feet are burning appears sporadically and mainly in the evening, the reason for this may be overwork of the legs. Tight shoes and long walks lead to “vascular play.”
During the evening rest, pinched veins and capillaries begin to expand, which causes a burning sensation on the feet.
When you notice that your feet are burning, listen to yourself, understand what other symptoms are bothering you and approximately determine what disease the burning sensation may indicate.
After this preliminary self-diagnosis, make an appointment with the right specialist. If you cannot attribute this symptom to any systemic disease, and it bothers you every day, go to your local physician.
He will examine you, collect anamnesis and give a referral to a specialist who can accurately determine why the soles of your feet are burning and what to do about the problem.
In the meantime, you are waiting to see a doctor, you can alleviate your condition by eliminating the unpleasant symptom in the following ways:
Using these methods, you can temporarily relieve an unpleasant symptom. Together with the doctor you contact, you can find the reason why your feet are burning and solve the problem with medication.
Most often, each of us does not pay much attention to our feet until they begin to bother us. Particularly unpleasant sensations arise when the feet hurt. Why does this happen and what to do in such cases? Most often, the causes of discomfort lie in incorrectly selected shoes. However, as practice shows, this is not the only factor why pain is felt in the feet.
Pain in the foot has various causes, and experts attribute it to the complex structure of this part of the limb. Its structure consists of 26 bone elements, about 33 joints, 107 ligaments and more than 20 muscles. Many tendons and cartilages are used to strengthen the bone structure.
The main load on the foot falls on the two main and largest bones that form the arch. Despite the fact that all other bones are smaller, they are no less important for the full functioning of the ankle.
Its mobility and endurance are ensured by the joints that connect and fasten together all the bones of the ankle. To reduce friction between the bones and prevent early wear of the joint joints, cartilage tissue and joint capsules (bursae) filled with synovial fluid are located between them.
The tendons that envelop the bones in a healthy state are characterized by high strength and good elasticity. They provide the ability to bend and straighten the limb. Tendons are firmly connected to muscle tissue, the structure of which contains large quantities of nerve endings. They make it possible to transmit a signal from the brain to perform any action. The main nerve fibers are those located in the area of the fibula and in the area of the calf muscles.
The foot has several main articular joints:
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Pain in the foot can cause not only severe discomfort. Their intensity can force a person to abandon their usual way of life. Even an ordinary walk with a sore limb turns into a difficult task. The reasons why such difficulties arise may indicate obvious and hidden diseases. If your foot hurts when walking, there may be disorders in the body:
Next, we will consider the main diseases and their causes that cause foot pain.
A characteristic feature of a heel spur is the growing bone tissue in the area of the heel bone. As a result of the pathological process, bone growths are formed. The plantar fascia is a wide band of fibrous tissue whose purpose is to connect the heel bone and the base of the toes.
The reasons contributing to the development of this disease are as follows:
What to do if your feet hurt very badly due to heel spurs? First of all, experts advise going to a doctor who will identify the main causes and tell you how to treat this disease. The symptoms of this disease are very difficult to confuse with another disease:
At the initial stage of the disease, the patient is recommended to choose more comfortable shoes and use orthopedic insoles. It is also necessary to undergo a massage course and do special exercises that stretch the fascia and leg muscles.
Treatment of fasciitis at a later stage requires the use of corticosteroid injections or a surgical method in which bone growth and altered tissue are removed.
If your feet hurt, then most likely the causes of this discomfort lie in inflammation of the periarticular bursa of the Achilles tendon, or in the area of the heel bone. Bursitis of the foot can occur after excessive physical activity, arthrosis processes and infections of various origins.
In this case, the patient may complain that the feet are very painful when walking, swelling and redness of the affected area increases. Problems may arise when choosing shoes. Also, the balls of the feet hurt under the toes, which indicates an increase in inflammation.
It is necessary to treat bursitis by eliminating the causes that contribute to the progression of the disease. This primarily concerns the exclusion of traumatic factors and limitation of physical activity. If the pain in the foot has not stopped, then non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed. For infectious bursitis, corticosteroid injections and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed. It is also recommended to make compresses from dimexide.
Foot pain can also be caused by arthritis. This disease is characterized by the destruction of cartilage tissue in the joints. This pathology includes several varieties of this complex disease. It includes gout, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
Common symptoms for all types of arthritis include the following:
When treating arthritis, the patient is most often prescribed painkillers , non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for administration into the joint cavity, and agents for removing excess uric acid from the body. For infectious arthritis, antibiotics are prescribed to remove the infection from the body.
If the top of the foot hurts, the doctor should first examine the sole for obvious signs of flat feet. The disease represents one of the most common and well-known foot deformities. On the sole of a healthy person there is a transverse arch at the base of the toes and a longitudinal arch on the inside. They are designed to cushion and soften walking movements.
However, in some people, due to a weak muscular-ligamentous system, subsidence and flattening of the arches occurs. At the same time, the instep of the foot decreases, and the entire load is transferred to the spinal column, hip, knee and ankle joints. Since these connections are not designed to bear such loads, they wear out very quickly .
Flat feet can be congenital or acquired. Its symptoms usually include increased leg fatigue and cramps. Also, with flat feet, shoes wear out faster. In this case, abrasions and defects on it appear in the same places. Very often, with flat feet, there is an improper load on the foot, so patients have pain on the outer sides of the feet.
What to do and how to treat this disease? I would like to immediately note that flat feet cannot be treated with any ointments or herbal decoctions. Such recipes can only reduce discomfort if the instep or foot hurts when walking. It is possible to successfully recover from this disease only in childhood. As for an adult, it is impossible to get rid of pathology. To date, specialists have developed therapy that can only slow down this process.
The basis of treatment for flat feet is physical exercise, which can reduce pain in the ankle area.
It is recommended to do similar exercises for the feet daily. It helps correct the arch of the foot, strengthen muscles and train the ligamentous apparatus. It is also recommended to use orthopedic shoes or insoles to reduce the load on other joint joints.
With traumatic tendovaginitis, the top of the foot often hurts. A similar diagnosis is typical for many military personnel, especially in the first stages of military service. The main predisposing factor to this disease is flat feet and wearing uncomfortable shoes. Lifting heavy objects or frequently walking up stairs can also cause traumatic tenosynovitis. It is these loads that cause unusual pressure, leading to deformation of the bone structure of the foot.
Most often, the patient complains that his foot, instep, and, in the chronic form, the middle part of the foot are very painful. The pain syndrome is accompanied by swelling of the back of the foot. The diagnosis of this disease is established only on the basis of x-ray examination.
Treatment of the disease largely depends on the form in which it is found. Treatment for the acute period includes mandatory bed rest with the application of a plaster splint for 10 days. As the pain subsides, thermal procedures and massage are gradually applied.
When injured, pain is felt not only in the ankle. In this case, the outer side of the foot may even hurt. This feature is associated with damage to the muscular-ligamentous apparatus and bone structure. They can arise either from a single blow or after seemingly harmless microtraumas that are often repeated over a long period.
Sprain. Such injuries very often occur in everyday life, and their complexity depends on the number of simultaneously damaged tendons. With a mild injury, the patient feels nagging pain in the feet, and there is a slight swelling in the damaged area. Treatment consists of ensuring complete rest of the injured limb for 3-5 days. After some time, the pain usually disappears.
More severe sprains are characterized by severe pain that causes dizziness. In this case, more serious medical attention is required.
Heel bone fracture. This type of injury is the result of an unsuccessful jump or occurs when you fall on your leg. The first signs of a fracture are pain in the foot when walking and swelling in the heel bone. A more accurate diagnosis can be obtained by radiographic examination.
Treatment in this case can be conservative or surgical, and depends on the type of fracture. Pain in the foot is caused by various reasons. Therefore, if any unpleasant sensations occur, it is recommended to consult a doctor as soon as possible. Such careful treatment of your feet will allow you to lead an active life much longer.
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Complete or partial loss of sensation in the feet occurs for a number of fairly diverse reasons that provoke impaired blood flow. Often, pinched nerve roots can also contribute to loss of sensation. Depending on what symptoms and degree of pain a person experiences, the true cause of the pathology can be determined.
Often, symptoms of malaise in the extremities (numbness) can be combined with severe pain in the lumbar region, arms and chest. It occurs that patients experience numbness not only in their legs, but also in their arms during movement or even at rest. For example, a person may be sitting behind the wheel of a car and his limbs suddenly begin to go numb. What to do in this case? It is possible that your feet will get very cold in the cold (frost) and because of this, “running goosebumps” will appear on the skin.
In 90% of clinical cases, the feet begin to go numb due to a pathology defined as osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine. As a result, the nerve roots are irritated, pinched, and various neurological disorders occur.
If a patient gradually develops sciatica or inflammation of the sciatic nerve, then it is possible that this will affect the limbs. It is absolutely always necessary to exclude pathological processes in the blood vessels (for example, varicose veins, as well as thrombosis), as well as endocrine system disorders such as diabetes mellitus or consequences after receiving a mechanical injury.
The most common neurological signs of foot numbness (listed below):
If your feet go numb during pregnancy, then this is more the norm than a pathology. This is due to the fact that during this period the spine bears a fairly large load. In addition, the uterus is growing rapidly and affects pathological pinching of nerve fibers. In addition, a woman may begin to stretch the so-called iliopsoas muscle, which causes pain while walking and additionally leads to increased tone of the uterus. This condition in pregnant women requires medical adjustment and timely consultation with a doctor.
It is worth noting another reason that can cause numbness in the feet - an acute deficiency of micro and macroelements, most often accompanied by leg cramps at night.
The right foot may become numb due to pinched nerve roots and subsequently the development of osteochondrosis. Pathological symptoms spread throughout the entire outer part of the lower leg, as well as the knee. In this case, not only the foot, but also the big toe goes numb. If the situation begins to rapidly deteriorate, then the person’s foot becomes so weak that he does not even have the opportunity to rise on his toes and move long distances. Moreover, such actions as bending the body, turning to the sides, as well as coughing provoke increased pain and numbness not only in the foot, but throughout the entire limb. If the patient sharply raises his leg up, this leads to increased numbness and pain radiating to the lower back on the right.
If a person’s foot or little toe goes numb, this indicates the development of a hernia. Initially, in this case, the little finger begins to go numb and only after this sensation moves to the heel. If you do not treat the disease and do not consult a doctor, then as a result of the development of the disease, the so-called Achilles tendon reflex begins to decrease and the person can no longer get back on his feet without special medical care. A characteristic sign is that the pain intensifies while sitting on something hard, as well as while walking or raising the legs.
If numbness of the foot is accompanied by redness of the skin, swelling, decreased mobility, etc., then you need to seek help from an orthopedic doctor. This, as a rule, indicates more systemic tissue damage, as well as a burn or incipient arthritis. It is not uncommon for the foot to become numb due to Raynaud's syndrome. Therefore, in order to finally confirm or refute the likelihood of pathology, you still need to visit a medical facility.
So, with complaints of numbness in the right or left heel, patients often turn to a surgeon or traumatologist. Moreover, patients say that their painful symptoms intensify while walking or even while sitting. This already indicates tension in the sciatic nerve, which is characterized by such severe pain that a person experiences convulsions. Some may wake up at night with unbearable pain and a tingling sensation in their limbs.
In order to prescribe treatment, the doctor must reject or confirm the following causes of foot numbness:
There are several areas of treatment for numbness of the feet: