Foot Injuries

Pains in the foot may be acute injuries from a traumatic event such as landing hard on the heels or stubbing a toe! Or they may be overuse, chronic injuries, which develop over a period of time, such as plantar fasciitis.

Plantar Fasciitis

The plantar fascia is a thick band of connective tissue which runs from the underneath of the heel, across the sole of the foot, towards the toes. Inflammation and degeneration of the attachment point of the fascia causes the pain. Causes of plantar fasciitis include overpronation and tight calf muscles.

Symptoms may include:

Pain under the heel which may spread into the arch of the foot.
Pain is usually worse first thing in the morning or after periods of rest.
Pain may decrease with activity initially but often flares again if this continues.

More information on Plantar Fasciitis

Heel Pain

There are a number of causes of heel pain. These include:

Plantar fasciitis (see above).
Heel spurs - A bony growth under the heel.
Bruised heel - bruised soft tissue under the heel usually from a direct impact (landing on the heel).

Treatment of heel pain will vary depending on the cause of the injury. A bruised heel for example can usually simply be left, with reduced weight bearing for a few days and it will heal naturally. Plantar fasciitis may require more extensive treatment including massage, ultrasound, stretching, insoles, acupuncture etc. Heel spurs may respond to similar treatment, although if not they may require surgery to shave them down.

Broken Foot

There are 26 bones in the foot and a 'broken foot' could refer to any one of them! Broken bones in the feet happen one of two ways. They are either a traumatic injury from a sudden force such as stubbing a toe or dropping something on the foot, or they may be a stress fracture. A stress fracture occurs due to repetitive low level forces and the metatarsals (long bones of the forefoot) are the most frequently injured in this way. Stress fractures commonly occur in runners and soldiers.