Pain on foot is often caused by exercising, especially if it involves running, kicking or jumping. Discomfort may often be caused by inflammation or injury. It can also result from nerve injury. Treatment options vary depending on the cause and may involve rest and medication.
Your feet are composed of bones, ligaments and tendons. Severe foot pain on top of foot is not surprising, given that these areas bear your entire body weight throughout the day. Sometimes, you may get soreness near the top of your foot, which can be unpleasant when walking or even standing still. This discomfort can range from mild to severe, depending on the origin and amount of any potential harm.
What Causes Pain on the Top of Foot?
There are several reasons why one may experience severe pain on top of foot.
Conditions caused by overuse include:
Extensor Tendonitis: It is caused by excessive use or wearing shoes that are too tight. The tendons that run along the top of the foot and pull it up become inflamed and painful.
Stress Fractures in the Foot: These can cause pain, particularly in the metatarsal bones at the top of the feet. This injury will most likely cause swelling as a symptom.
Sinus Tarsi Syndrome: This condition is characterised by inflammation of the sinus tarsi, which is a duct located between the heel and ankle bone. This condition causes pain at the top of the foot and outside the ankle.
Other causes may include:
- Gout can produce sudden, severe pain in the joint near the base of the big toe.
- Bone spurs are painful growths that originate along your joints, particularly in your feet around your toes.
- Peripheral neuropathy produces pain, tingling or numbness that can progress from the feet to the legs.
- Joint peroneal nerve dysfunction is the malfunction of a branch of the sciatic nerve that causes tingling and nerve pain on top of foot, as well as weakness in the foot or lower leg.
How is the Pain on Top of Foot Diagnosed?
A medical practitioner will generally do a thorough examination to find out the cause of pain on the top of the foot. This examination may include:
1. Medical History: Your doctor will ask you about the type of your daily routine, any injuries that you have had in the past, and the start and length of your symptoms.
2. Physical Examination: The doctor will look at your foot, feeling for any signs of injury as well as any swelling or soreness.
3. Range of Motion Tests: Your doctor may want you to move your foot and toes in various directions to check your mobility and pain threshold.
4. Imaging Tests: MRI or CT scans are the tools that can be used to diagnose soft tissue injuries, for example, ligament or tendon damage, while X-rays are the ones that help in the detection of fractures.
5. Nerve Conduction Studies: In case of nerve problems, these tests can determine the working condition of the nerves in the foot.
Your healthcare professional can find the root cause of your pain and thus, propose the most suitable action based on the results. This could be done by resting, applying ice, elevating, taking pain medication, physical therapy or, in the worst cases, surgery.
Steps to Avoid Pain on Top of Foot
Take into account the following actions to avoid burning pain on top of the foot:
1. Appropriate Footwear: Put on shoes with padding to ease the stress on the top of the foot. They should be the right choice and give the needed support.
2. Gradual Training: In order to avoid overuse injuries, the time and intensity of physical exercises should be increased slowly and gradually.
3. Exercises for Strengthening and Stretching: The workouts that you need to do to boost the strength and flexibility of the foot’s muscles and tendons are the ones that will help you to be more fit.
4. Maintain a Healthy Weight: The weight of a person is heavier and thus puts more pressure on the feet, which in turn results in pain and discomfort.
5. Appropriate Technique: To reduce the chance of injury, you should use the correct form and technique when you are doing any physical activity.
6. Rest and Recuperation: Following a hard physical activity, let your feet rest and heal, so that you will not get overuse injuries.
7. Regular foot care involves the cleaning and drying of the feet, the regular trimming of the toenails and the checking for any indications of diseases or injuries.
8. Listen to what your body is telling you. Check for any signs of pain or discomfort and, if required, consult a doctor.
You can decrease the probability of having pain in the top of your foot by following the above measures.
Conclusion
People usually have pain on top of their feet because of overuse, injuries during jogging, or from wearing too-tight shoes. Removing the injured foot from the load might be a way to reduce the pain. In some cases, you may have to wear a cast or go to physical therapy in order to heal.
Some foot pain is caused by medical diseases like gout or peripheral neuropathy in addition to the foot. In many cases, the root of the problem is the reason for the pain and getting rid of it will be the way to be relieved.
