Many of us take our feet for granted as they carry us through life — by the age of 50, most people log about 75,000 miles on their feet!
So, when foot pain strikes — and it does for up to 87% of us — you suddenly don’t take these small appendages for granted anymore. More to the point, you want the pain to go away so that you can get back to your life.
Since April is National Foot Health Awareness Month, the experienced team at Johnston Pain Management is focusing on foot pain in this month’s blog post and when to seek help. Let’s take a look.
One of the most common causes of foot pain is peripheral neuropathy, which is nerve damage. Peripheral neuropathy affects around half of people with diabetes, as well as people with circulatory issues in their lower extremities, such as peripheral artery disease.
This type of nerve damage is typically progressive, so it’s important to recognize the early signs so that you can seek help straight away. These signs include:
If any of these sound familiar, we recommend that you see us for a nerve health evaluation.
While your entire foot bears an incredible amount of weight, two areas are under the most pressure — your heels and the balls of your feet.
If you develop pain in the balls of your feet, or you feel like there’s a pebble in your shoe when there isn’t, you might be dealing with a Morton’s neuroma, which affects one in three people at some point. A Morton’s neuroma is a thickened and inflamed nerve in your foot that usually responds well to an alcohol sclerosing or corticosteroid injection.
Another cause of pain in the ball of your foot is bursitis or capsulitis, both of which respond well to corticosteroid injections.
If your foot pain lasts for weeks or months and tends to flare with activity, there’s likely a mechanical or chronic issue that you should investigate. Nagging foot pain can stem from a wide range of issues, such as stress fractures or arthritis, and getting to the bottom of the problem is your first step toward relief.
If you have heel pain that’s preventing you from getting around easily and isn’t showing any signs of getting better, it’s time to get checked out. There are several issues that can lead to heel pain, from plantar fasciitis to Achilles tendonitis, and it’s important first to figure out what you’re up against. From there, we can develop a plan to manage your discomfort.
The bottom line is that foot pain is hard to ignore, and you shouldn’t let it continue for too long, as you might incur even more damage. Besides, the fastest way to move freely again is to enlist key medical help.
For expert care of your foot pain, please contact us at one of our conveniently located offices in Jacksonville, Hampstead, or New Bern, North Carolina, to schedule an appointment.
