Bottom of Foot Pain

There are many causes of foot pain that is located at the bottom of your feet.  We will explore some of those causes of this pain today.  On this page, I will introduce you to each type of foot pain, and then you can search the other pages on the site for more detailed information about the forms of foot pain.

Flat Feet

When you have flat feet, the arch located on the inside of your foot is flat.  This is normally painless, but in many cases, corrective devices may be needed in order to treat the condition.  Flat feet may be more problematic for athletes or people who are on their feet for extended periods of time.  Symptoms of this condition include pain or swelling on the inner part of the ankle, foot pain, and a flat appearance to the foot.  While it is normal for children to start with flat feet, they normally become more arched throughout childhood, but for some people, the arches never form.  Over time, the arches may also fall, such as during pregnancy, as you get older, if you have a traumatic injury to your foot, or if you are obese.  Treatments of this condition include medications, resting your feet, weight loss, custom designed arch supports, an orthotic and wedge, foot support, and surgery. 

Foot Corns or Calluses

Foot corns and calluses are thick layers of skin that are hard due to the skin trying to protect itself against friction or pressure.  Treatment for this foot condition is only necessary if the corns or calluses are causing discomfort.  Symptoms include dry skin, tenderness under the skin, and hardened thick skin.  Corns and calluses are not the same.  While both are thickened portions of skin, calluses are painless and feel dead to the touch, but corns can cause pain.  Corns can also develop in areas that are not weight-bearing.  Causes of corns and calluses include shoes that are ill-fitting, friction to the skin of the foot, hammertoe, mallet toe, and bunions.  Treatment involves avoiding the actions that cause the condition as well as wearing socks and shoes that fit correctly.  Additionally the following treatments have been utilized:  salicylic acid, trimming, shoe inserts, antibiotic medication, and surgery.

Hammertoe or Mallet Toe

Hammertoes or mallet toes are toes that have become curled.  A hammertoe occurs when the bend is in the middle toe, and a mallet toe occurs when the upper joint is affected.  This condition may be caused by the toe being forced up against the front portion of the shoe.  This means that you need to make sure that you wear shoes that give you plenty of space for your toes to rest in a flat position.  Symptoms of hammertoe or mallet toe include a claw-like or a hammer like appearance of a toe, a deformity at the end of the toe, difficulty moving the toe, and calluses or corns resulting from friction of the affected toe.  These conditions can cause pain when walking or moving the toes.  Mallet toe and hammertoe can be inherited or caused by inappropriate footwear.  Treatment of these conditions may include orthotics, more comfortable shoes, or surgery. 

Metatarsalgia

Metatarsalgia is a condition in which pain and inflammation occurs in the ball of the foot.  This condition may result from ill-fitting shoes or if you do a lot of jumping or running.  Symptoms include burning, sharp, or aching pain that gets worse when walking or running.  Normally the symptoms develop gradually.  The cause is when there is too much pressure being placed on the metatarsals.  Some of the factors include having a high arch or a long second toe, intense work-outs, bunions, hammertoes, ill-fitting shoes, being overweight, stress fractures, and Morton's Neuroma.  Treatment includes rest, ice packs, wearing proper shoes and shock absorbing insoles, using metatarsal pads, and using arch supports.  In rare cases surgery may be suggested.

Plantar Fascia

The plantar fascia is the thick band of tissue located across the bottom part of your foot that connects the heel bone to the toes.  When the plantar fascia becomes inflamed and painful, we refer to this condition as plantar fasciitis.  The most common symptom is a sharp pain in the heel area, especially when you first begin walking.  There are several risk factors for this condition, such as being a female, of the ages of 40 - 60, being obese, participating in activities that put stress on the foot, high arches and being flat-footed, and being on your feet a lot.  Treatment of this condition may include physical therapy, medications, surgery, or other procedures. 

Benefits of Going Barefoot

A developing pain on the bottom of the foot may in fact be caused by just wearing your footwear.  According to recent articles and scientific study, wearing shoes can help to damage our foot more than help it.  Shoes, in whichever form they my be in, have a principal function of altering the way the foot hits the ground, changing or forcing adjustment to the anatomy.  The newest movement involve going barefoot for the majority of the day, allowing your body to work as it was naturally intended to.

History has helped to reveal just what works.  Many cultures throughout history have not had shoes or chose not to wear them, and, as scientific study has shown, they possessed a healthier foot than most of use.  A common misconception is that the impact from walking is the main reason for footwear, but our body's are designed to absorb the shock and impact of our feet hitting the ground.  We are designed to hit heel first, then roll with our step.  Shoes help eliminate this perfectly natural walking method by providing additional cushioning and padding for our daily strolls.

However, there are certain factors that have led to us requiring shoes, including dirt, glass, sharp or hot surfaces, and even human excrement.  Most are unaware that the middle ages brought with it higher heeled shoes, to help the upper class avoid human excrement found on the ground.  While many of us will not need to consider the possibility of avoid human excrement on a walk to our car, shoes should be avoided to help avoid pain on the bottom of the foot.  If shoes are required, then find "naked" or "barefoot" shoes.  These varieties of footwear help to simulate walking with nothing there, which is the next best thing to walking around barefoot.