With all the muscles, bones and ligaments in the feet and the legs it’s no surprise there are many possible reasons for discomfort or pain!
As experts in how the legs and feet move, we want to help highlight the most common overuse injuries that may be causing your nagging pains. Follow along while we fill you in on some injuries you might have had or heard about.
Common Cause of Heel Pain: Plantar Fasciitis
Let’s start with the most common cause of heel pain: plantar fasciitis. This is one of the easiest foot pains to Dr. Google because the symptoms are so specific, but understanding the cause isn’t quite as simple. What is understood about plantar fasciitis is that it involves stress and tension on the spider web like tissue that extends from the heel to the toes (the plantar fascia). There are lots of factors like muscle tightness, abnormal walking patterns and foot alignment issues that can add up to too much stress in the plantar fascia.
A biomechanical and gait assessment can help to determine which of the possible factors may be contributing to your daily discomfort and how to improve it. This could include additional foot support like orthotics or different types of footwear, stretching and strengthening.
Pain in the Ball of the Foot: Morton’s Neuroma
The next cause for foot pain that we’ll highlight is Morton’s neuroma. This is a condition that usually causes sharp pain in the ball of the foot, often between the third and fourth toes. You may also experience numbness, tingling or a burning sensation in combination with sharp pain. In some cases, there is no pain, rather a feeling that your sock is bunched up or like there is a pebble under the foot. It can really make you feel like you’re princess and the pea!
A neuroma is a thickening of the nerve due to built-up compression and pressure. Morton’s neuroma can be caused by a few different outside factors like tight or ill-fitted footwear that compresses the foot. It can also be from overuse that results in injury. In many cases, a correlation can be seen between unusual walking patterns and the presence of pain in the forefoot.
When being assessed for your foot pain, there are tests that can be done to check for positive signs of a Morton’s neuroma. Your clinician will dive into any abnormal walking behaviours and how they can be improved with strengthening, alternative footwear or custom orthotic support. Understanding the root cause of your discomfort is a key component in improving and preventing future occurrence.
Pain the Back and Bottom of the Heel: Achilles Tendinitis
Going back to the heel of the foot, Achilles tendinitis is an overuse injury that results in pain in the back and bottom of the heel. Much like plantar fasciitis, this type of injury can have unique symptoms such as heightened pain after periods of rest and decreased pain with mild activity. The amount of pain you feel can be sharp or duller in nature and can be largely impacted by your daily activities.
The Achilles tendon is a thick band of tissue that connects the calf muscles to the heel, which means that we rely on the Achilles tendon to be strong and flexible every time we bend the foot up and down (including EVERY step you take, moving your forward body over your foot). Stress or injury to the Achilles Tendon can be limiting and bothersome to your day, which is why it is important to maintain strength in the muscles that attach to it, and mobility in the ankle.
Achilles tendinitis can be caused by constant or excessive tension being applied to the tissue (think tight calves) or micro trauma as a result of the tendon being twisted from the feet rolling inwards or outwards too much (ever heard of over pronation?). An assessment of the lower limb will help to determine if the ankle and foot are working within the ideal range of motion to reduce tension and stress. Once we understand which factors are contributing to your pain, we can target what will be most beneficial in improving them.
Shin Splints or Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome
Last on the list, you’ve probably heard of shin splints, AKA Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome. As the name suggests, the cause for shin splints is due to repeat stress on the shin bone. The pain is usually felt along the bottom inside of the leg and can be sharp or dull in nature. With shin splints, reduced activity or rest usually makes your pain better or go away completely but once you’ve felt the pain of shin splints, it is likely you will experience them again!
When the muscles that start in the legs and attach to the feet get pulled outside of their ideal ranges, they can tug too hard on their starting point in the leg, causing shin pain. When the feet move outside of regular or ideal mobility, it can result in added stress to both the feet and legs. This means that some foot alignments that allow for irregular mobility can be more susceptible to shin splints. Another consideration for this pain is the activities that result in feeling shin splints and the footwear that is being worn during those activities (ie. are you wearing the right shoes for your activities? Are your shoes in good enough shape to support your activities?).
If you find yourself struggling with any of these common foot and leg injuries, you may benefit from a lower limb biomechanical and gait analysis assessment to determine what factors are contributing and how you can improve it! We love investigating and solving problems so if you’re wondering what’s up with your feet, come on in and see us!
Book an assessment at The Stride Clinic online or call their Barrie location at 705-735-1013 or their Orillia location at 705-326-5808.
This article was sponsored by The Stride Clinic, a 2024 OrilliaMatters Reader Favourite.