Foot pain is very common among women, in fact, 1 in 4 women suffer from foot pain and a big reason for this is the shoes you wear. There are several types of foot pain, from heel pain, the ball of the foot pain, and even toe pain that can lead to horrible pain and affect your day-to-day activities. What are the differences and what can you do about it?
Heel Pain
Plantar fasciitis is the thickening or inflammation of the plantar fascia, which is a band of tissue that runs underneath the sole of the foot. When you stand on your foot and the arch drops down, it’s getting stretched and where it attaches to the heel bone it causes micro-tears, which is the pain you are feeling.
Causes
- Overweight
- New way of exercising
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Poor support in your shoes
- Flat feet
- Unusually high arch
- Legs are an uneven length
- Achilles tendons
Remedies for this include cooling it off with something cold like an ice pack or rolling a tennis ball and massaging your foot arch. There are also stretching exercises that can help, as well as wearing shoes that offer good arch support.
Also: High Heels: 5 Tips For Merrier Feet
Ball of the foot pain
This is metatarsalgia which is caused by excess pressure on this part of the foot. Shoes are the culprits, especially high heel shoes. Symptoms can include sharp, aching or burning pain, especially when you stand, run or walk.
Causes
- Bone abnormalities from genetic disposition
- Thinning or shifting of your foot pad’s fatty tissue
- High arch
- Flat feet
- Hammertoes
You can start by stretching your Achilles tendon to strengthen your foot muscles, these exercises will help decrease the pressure from your sore feet. You should also invest in shoes that fit well, such as a pair of comfortable sneakers, metatarsal pads or a shock-absorbing shoe.
Toe pain
Unfortunately, sometimes beautiful ill-fitting shoes can put too much pressure on your toes, especially high-heels because your weight lands on your toes. When this happens you can develop all sorts of toe problems, such as:
- Bunions
- Corns
- Hammer toe
- Crossover toe
- Ingrown toenails
Ill-fitting shoes are to blame for these problems. After years of wearing these narrow shoes, you could develop any of these. This is why you have to be smart about shopping for shoes. Make sure that when you’re buying shoes your toes do not feel pinched or cramped. Measure the length and width of your feet to ensure proper fit. Make sure you can wiggle your toes and that it has good arch support.
Take care of your feet because you don’t want to suffer from any of these issues. If you know you are going to be standing up all day for work, make sure you invest in a good pair of walking shoes. If you work at an office job where you’re behind a desk all day, then you might get away with wearing high-heels, but make sure they fit well and that you give your feet a rest at the end of the day.
Don’t ignore foot pain and consult with your doctor if the pain is severe because it might be a more serious problem. Make sure you take care of your feet because if you don’t, the bad decisions that you make now may come haunt you later as you age.