Foot Pain Causes and Relief

Foot pain causes

I didn’t really care much about foot pain until recently when my mom was complaining incessantly about her foot pain, especially how painful it was for her to stand first thing in the morning. It turned out my mom was not alone; many of her friends have had foot pain, and even some of my friends, who are in their 20s and 30s, also have foot pain.

Pain is like a signal your body is trying to tell you there’s something (wrong) going on, in this case with your foot, and unless you do something about it, the pain is only to get worse with your daily life and activities. The pain could be due to inflammation or misalignment of one or more of the different structures in your foot including bone, joint and ligament or tendon.

Foot pain cause #1: Ill-fitting shoes/sandals/slippers

According to a research done in England, 37% of women said they would wear uncomfortable shoes as long as the shoes were fashionable. Honestly, I myself would be in that 37% if I were asked to answer the question. Poorly fitting shoes – too high, too large, too small, too wide, too narrow, too flat, too hard or too soft – can cause foot pain over time.

Most fashionable shoes only fit women by shoe size, which is basically length of the shoe/foot. It’s really rare to find shoes, for both women and men, that fit both the length and width and have proper arch support.

Foot pain cause #2: Too much contact with flat and hard surfaces

Human foot with its arch structure is not designed by nature to stand or walk on flat and hard surfaces without proper support. Unfortunately, hard surfaces including hard wood, concrete, tile and low/hard carpet are what we have to walk and stand on everyday. As a result, the foot muscles and ligaments must work harder to keep the shape of the arches intact. Over time, the muscles and ligaments become weaker and stretched, which marks the beginning of foot pain!

Foot pain cause #3: Overuse

If you use your foot – running, jogging, hiking or standing – a lot and don’t wear footwear with proper support or don’t rest your foot appropriately, your foot can easily get hurt. Gaining weight including during pregnancy can cause pain to your foot. The pain may go away after you get back to your regular weight; however, why suffer when you can make some small adjustment to help relieve the foot pain.

Want to know more about foot pain causes? Visit the Mayo clinic website.

Foot pain relief

If you have foot pain, don’t just ignore it. Unless you make some changes in your activities or your footwear, or have treatments by yourself or with your doctor, the pain won’t go away by itself. Some simple modifications and self-treatment mentioned below can go a long way. (However, it’s best to see a podiatrist if the pain is too much and seriously affect your life.)

• Wear shoe insole and shoes with proper support
• Try the hot and cold treatment: soak your feet in the cold water bucket then move it to the hot water. Do this several times to relieve the feet from stress and pain.
• Wear Plantar Fascitis Night splint while sleeping to help keep your feet in the proper position.
• Exercise your feet

I’ve posted a related article titled “Gifts for people with foot pain,” where I mentioned different brands of insoles, shoes and sandals/slippers and other lesser known products that can help you relieve the pain. You’re encouraged to read and share it with your friends and loved ones.

All the best!