There are several structures in your foot that can be causing your foot pain- ligaments, muscles, bone, tendons, nerves and other connective tissue structures. This can be due to overuse, an ageing process, a traumatic incident or an inflammatory condition.
Heel Pain-The most common cause of heel pain is plantar fasciitis. The plantar fascia is a strong layer of fibrous tissue located at the sole of the foot, under the skin. When this tight band of tissue gets irritated it becomes inflamed, referred as plantar fasciitis. This is usually seen in middle aged men and women. The pain presents as a deep pain in the heel/ bottom of your foot when you stand or walk. The foot pain will be most severe when you first stand on it in the morning, slowly decreasing within a few steps. It can flare up again if you are standing or walking for prolonged periods. As a lot of your body weight is distributed along the arch of your foot that the plantar fascia supports, anything placing excessive stress on the fibrous tissue can irritate it, bringing on inflammation. Some of the causes include- a high arch/ flat feet, walk/stand/running on hard surfaces for prolonged periods, overweight, poor support of shoes, tight Achilles tendon or calf.
Arthritis: As the foot bears a substantial amount of weight and a highly mobile body part, it is not unlikely for osteoarthritis to occur. Osteoarthritis is the breakdown of cartilage between the joints, decreasing joint space and eventual bony growth. It most commonly affects the ankle joint and the big toe.
Nerve pain in the inner part of the foot- Tarsal tunnel syndrome is when the posterior tibial nerve (branch of sciatic nerve running through the inner side of your foot/ankle) gets compressed. Patients will experience some neurological symptoms in the foot such a numbness, tingling, burning or shooting foot pain. Anything that reduces the space within the Tarsal Tunnel will impinge the nerve, this includes: fractures, bone spurs, arthritis, muscle impingement.
Tendinopathy: Tendons are connective tissue that attach muscle to bone. The most commonly affected tendons in the foot include: Achilles (back of the ankle), posterior tibial (more inner side of foot/ankle) and peroneal tendon (outer side of your ankle). When an excessive amount of load is placed in the tendon, it becomes irritated and inflamed, therefor causing foot pain.
Pain on the ball of the foot- The metatarsal bones in your foot are the long bones that are between your ankle joint and toes. When there is a disruption in equal spread of weight between these 5 bones in your foot, it will cause pain in the one that has extra pressure going through it. This condition is referred to as Metatarsalgia. The most common causes include: a change in weight distribution due to a fracture in another metatarsal, enlarged metatarsal head, arthritis or degeneration in the joint, callus or skin lesion leading to uneven weight distribution, incorrect shoes, exercise such as jogging that increase pressure on that ball area.
The chiropractors at Lakeside Chiropractic, treat a variety of foot conditions and pain daily. They are highly trained and knowledgeable in the diagnosis and treatment of your specific foot pain. Lakeside Chiropractic offers a range of modalities including- interferential, dry needling, soft tissue therapy, chiropractic mobilisations and manipulations, as well as specific rehabilitation (exercise/stretches) to assist in the recovery of your foot pain. We can help you find the solutions to your foot pain.
Located in Joondalup, Lakeside Chiropractic is central in Perth’s northern suburbs. Some of the surrounding suburbs are Ocean Reef, Kinross, Currambine, Mullaloo, Woodvale, Banksia Grove, Wanneroo, Tapping, and Carramar. We are able to process your Health Fund Claim immediately as we have HICAPs in clinic. We can claim from Medibank, Bupa, HCF, NIB, HBF, CGU, Cu Health, Frank and Defence Health. If your fund isn’t listed please ask at the time of your booking.
Call us on 9300 0095 or visit our website at www.lakesidechiro.com.au for further information on a solution to your foot pain.
