Foot Pain

What Is Foot Pain? 

Foot pain is discomfort in your feet, including the soles, heels, and toes. It might feel like a sharp, stabbing sensation, a dull, throbbing ache, a burning pain, or a tightness in the muscles or tendons. It can happen in one specific area or spread across the whole foot. It can also be either intermittent, which means it only happens sometimes, or constant. There is one thing that all foot pain has in common: It can have a big impact on your quality of life.  

What’s Causing Your Foot Pain? 

The type of foot pain you feel—and the solution for it—depends on the underlying cause. It can stem from issues with the bones, ligaments, tendons, or muscles, which can wear down or become inflamed or torn. The most common causes of foot pain include: 

• Improper footwear 

• Overuse 

• Injuries 

• Structural abnormalities 

• Inflammation 

• Nerve problems 

Foot Pain Chart: Common Areas of Discomfort 

The first step to leaving foot pain in the dust is to determine its cause. While we always recommend consulting with a doctor who can provide a diagnosis, you can get started with the foot pain chart below.

Top of Foot Pain 

Pain on the top of your foot is typically due to overuse or injury, but can also be due to nerve problems. Common causes include: 

• Sprains and stress fractures 

• Extensor tendonitis, when the tendons on the top of the foot become inflamed 

• Sinus tarsi syndrome, or inflammation of a channel in the foot 

• Dysfunction of the common peroneal nerve, a branch of the sciatic nerve 

Bottom of Foot Pain 

Pain on the bottom of your foot is also usually caused by overusing or injuring the feet during exercise. Other causes include genetics and inflammation. Here are a few possibilities: 

• Sprains, strains, and fractures 

• Flat feet or high arches 

• Plantar fasciitis, irritation of the plantar fascia ligament 

• Morton's neuroma, inflammation of the tissue around nerves 

Big Toe Pain 

Pain in the toes, especially the big toes, is commonly caused by wearing poorly fitted shoes, overuse, and injuries, but can also be due to a medical condition. Big toe foot pain is often due to:  

• Ingrown toenails 

• Bunions and hammertoe 

• Sprains, strains, and fractures, including turf toe 

• Gout, which causes sudden, severe swelling and pain 

• Raynaud's disease or chilblains, which involve poor circulation 

Pain in the Ball of the Foot 

Pain on the ball of your foot often happens when the pressure on your feet isn’t distributed properly, but it can have other causes as well: 

• Intense or high-impact exercise 

• Carrying excess weight 

• Wearing heels or tight shoes 

• Sprains, fractures, or bunions 

• Freiberg’s disease, a lack of blood to the toes 

• Metatarsalgia, inflammation of the toes 

• Sesamoiditis, inflammation of the sesamoid bones 

Foot Arch Pain 

Issues with your tendons, ligaments, and muscles can leave you wondering, “Why does the arch of my foot hurt?” For this type of foot pain, the answer could be: 

• Flat feet or high arches 

• Carrying excess weight 

• Overuse and stress fractures 

• Nerve damage 

• Overpronation, when the feet roll inward 

• Plantar fasciitis, inflammation of a ligament on the bottom of your foot 

• Tendinitis, inflammation of the tendons

Foot Heel Pain 

If your feet don’t properly distribute weight, you might have foot pain in your heels when you perform certain activities. Other common causes include:  

• Carrying excess weight  

• Bruising from high-impact or intense activity 

• Fracture due to a traumatic impact, like a fall 

• Bursitis, inflammation of the pouches that cushion your joints 

• Plantar fasciitis, when your plantar fascia ligament becomes irritated 

• Heel spurs, or “extra” bone growths on your heels

Outside of Foot Pain 

Pain on the outside of the foot can be caused by issues with the structure of the foot, as well as injury and improper distribution of weight. Your doctor may look for: 

• Flat feet 

• Stress fractures or an ankle sprain 

• Callouses, corns, and bunions 

• Peroneal tendonitis, inflammation of the peroneal tendons 

• Cuboid syndrome, a dislocation of the cuboid bone 

• Tarsal coalition, a rare genetic disorder where the tarsal bones aren't properly connected 

Back of Foot Pain  

Pain in the back of your foot, including the ankle, is often related to injury caused by overuse. Four common causes include: 

• Achilles tendinitis, inflammation in the Achilles tendon due to overuse 

• Achilles tendon rupture, an injury caused by sudden, forceful movement 

• Exostosis, a growth of bone within the Achilles tendon 

• Inflamed bursa, when a pocket of fluid in your heel becomes irritated

Nerve Pain in the Foot 

Nerve pain can occur anywhere in your foot, although it often happens on the top, at the arch, or in the toes. This type of foot pain feels like a shooting, burning, or tingling sensation, and can spread to the entire foot. It’s almost always related to irritation of the nerves in your foot, and can be caused by:  

• Poorly fitting shoes pinching your nerves 

• Neuroma, or thickening of the tissue around a nerve  

• Peripheral neuropathy, or damage to various nerves in the foot 

• Sciatica, damage to the sciatic nerve that can radiate anywhere in the body 

• Tarsal tunnel syndrome, a compression of the posterior tibial nerve 

Alleviate Your Foot Pain. Improve Your Quality of Life. 

The solution for your foot pain will depend on what’s causing it. Sometimes, like if you have a temporary injury, you may be able to manage your pain at home. In other situations, you’ll need medical help. The most common foot pain solutions include:  

• RICE: Athletes are likely familiar with this acronym, which stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation. It’s often used to treat minor injuries at home.  

• Losing weight: Extra weight puts extra pressure on your feet—this is one of the most common causes of foot pain. In these cases, losing weight could ease your pain.  

• Proper arch support: Wearing shoes with personally fitted arch supports that correctly support your feet may help.  For example, we can fit you at your nearest Good Feet Store. 

• Wearing a brace or splint: These can help keep your foot in a neutral position when you’re sitting, standing, walking, or sleeping.  

• Taking medications: Your doctor might prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, or nerve pain relievers, depending on the source of your foot pain.  

• Undergoing surgery: Surgery is commonplace for some foot problems, like bunions, tendon tears, or bone fractures. In other cases, surgery is considered a last resort.  

Put Your Best Feet Forward with Good Feet Arch Supports 

Foot pain is common, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept it. If you’re ready to live the life you love, arch supports can help. Our arch supports are devices that you place in your shoes to properly align the four arches of your feet. 

Good Feet Arch Supports are specially designed to support all four arches of the foot, place your feet in the proper position, and align your body up the entire kinetic chain. They may help with foot pain by: 

• Evenly distributing pressure across your foot 

• Providing support, stability, and balance 

• Aligning your knees, hips, and lower back

Take the First Step Toward a Life Free of Foot Pain 

Ready to take back the life you love? Try out Good Feet Arch Supports and decide for yourself if they help your foot pain. Find a store near you and we’ll roll out the welcome mat with a free, personalized fitting and test walk. Find a Store Near You