Common Causes of Top of Foot Pain
When foot pain causes walking to be painfully unbearable it’s often the sour of great frustration. Knowing the underlying cause is the first step to successful treatment and getting back into your normal routine. Below you will find 5 of the most common causes of foot pain and treatments to relieve the pain and aid recovery.
Morton’s Neuroma
Morton’s Neuroma is a benign disease that causes an inflammation of the nerves along the dorsal or front part of the foot. This can cause unbearable top of the foot pain especially for those who innervate the thirds and fourth toes. Although the disease is benign failure to have it treated can in the long run cause the nerves to thicken which will cause further pain, numbness and prickling sensations. The use of arch supports or specially designed orthotics like insoles will often help ease these symptoms and relieve pain felt. Left untreated the condition can also cause pain at the ball of the foot which has been described as walking on pebbles.
Tendonitis of the foot
Tendonitis is one of the most common causes of foot pain and is characterized by inflammation and swelling especially during weight bearing. Tendons are tissues that connect the bones to muscles. Tendonitis can occur as a result of injury or infections and is best treated by the use of ice packs to control the inflammation and swelling. There is anti-inflammation medication that is also available and in some cases cortisone injections may also help.
Metatarsal Stress
Metatarsals are the long bones that run along the top of the foot. These can be prone to overexertion during exercise and can become a common source of pain especially for athletes and runners. Metatarsal stress can cause the top of the foot pain to become very painful. Wearing shoes with this condition can become very uncomfortable and cause further swelling and inflammation. Sports related injuries like avulsion or muscle strain may also cause this kind of pain.
Stress Fractures
Trauma or repetitive strain on the bones can cause small cracks to them which is commonly referred to as stress fractures. These cracks usually don’t require any time of cast placed around them to aid healing but some kind of support is often recommended. Stress fractures are normally caused by inadequate foot wear combined with strenuous or increase in intensity of training or sports involving the feet. Calcium has been linked with healthy bones and a diet rich in sources of calcium will help with these kinds of conditions.
Abnormal tissue growth
Abnormal tissue growth sometimes occurs at the top of the foot and can either be benign or malignant. In either case these growths cause the nerves to be compressed which will cause pain to the top of the foot. This pain can be exacerbated by wearing the wrong type of footwear or when the feet undergo heightened levels of physical stress. The most common form of this type of growth is called cysts where fluid from the joints leaks out to form a lump on top of the foot. Other types of growths are called bone spurs which is when there is extra bone growth which can occur with frequent jamming go the bones in the foot and can eventually lead to arthritic spurring.
Pain is the most obvious symptom from these conditions but a doctor may be able to give a full diagnosis and advice on effective treatments. The doctor should also be able to eliminate other problems and identify the root cause after examination.
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