Causes of Top of Foot Pain
There are many reasons why you may be experiencing pain on the top of your foot. It could be as simple as shoes tied too tightly, rubbing against the top of the foot. The top of the foot has almost no fat or tissue padding the tendons, nerves, and bones, add this to the fact that, unlike the rest of your body, feet are snugly encased in shoes that rub against the top of the feet and you have an area prone to irritation and pain. The following paragraphs will discuss the most common conditions causing top of the foot pain.
The pressure of shoes that are too tight not only causes general discomfort, but can also lead to other conditions such as bone spurs where extra bone grows in response to constant micro-injuries, or nerve entrapment where the nerves become inflamed as a result of irritation. As mentioned above, the top of the foot does not have the same protective layer of fat and tissue as the rest of the body. Even though the friction of a shoe seems like a small annoyance, it can in fact cause serious injuries to develop over time. The pain associated with bone spurs and nerve entrapment is localized to the area where the shoe rubs against the skin, typically above the arch of the foot.
Tendonitis is a condition caused by overuse of the tendons. Tendons help to lift up the muscles and bones in our feet when we walk. Since we use our feet almost constantly, the tendons of the feet can easily become overworked and develop tendonitis. The extensor hallucis longus tendon, which runs from the big toe to the ankle is the most common site of tendonitis on the top of the foot. This condition can also occur in other tendons on the top of the feet that run from the ankle to the toes. The tendons of the top of the feet feel like ropes and can be felt with your fingers just under the surface of the skin.
In cases of tendonitis, there may be a point on the tendon with a sharp pain or a dull ache may run the length of the tendon. Swelling and redness of the tendon are also common symptoms. The pain associated with tendonitis will get worse with exercise and better with rest. Overweight people or people who take part in vigorous activity such as running or basketball are the most likely to get tendonitis.
Stress fractures are another common condition that causes pain in the top of the feet. Stress fractures are very small cracks in the bones which typically occur in one of the five metatarsal bones that run from behind the toes to about the middle of the foot. In general, overuse and muscle fatigue are the causes of stress fractures rather than a single incidence of stress or trauma, although this is possible. A stress fracture causes a sharp pain wherever the fracture is located. Continuing the same level of activity without taking steps to reduce stress can cause a stress fracture to develop into a full blown broken bone, so it is important to seek treatment promptly.
Processing your request, Please wait....
