Orthopedics Leg, Foot & Ankle Common Causes of Foot Pain By Laura Inverarity, DO Laura Inverarity, PT, DO, is a current board-certified anesthesiologist and former physical therapist. Learn about our editorial process Laura Inverarity, DO Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Lyle T. Modlin, DPM on November 20, 2019 Lyle T. Modlin, DPM, is board-certified by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery and has been in practice for over 30 years. Learn about our Medical Review Board Lyle T. Modlin, DPM Updated on January 10, 2020 Print Table of Contents View All Plantar Fasciitis Metatarsalgia Posterior Tibial Tendonitis Turf Toe Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome Foot Pain Treatment As shock absorbers, our feet cushion up to one million pounds of pressure during a single hour of strenuous exercise. They also support 1.2 times our body weight during walking and two to three times that during running activities. It is not hard to see why our feet are highly susceptible to injury. Berta Domènech / EyeEm / Getty Images If you wake up and suddenly feel pain in your feet, what is going on? Why do your feet hurt, and how can a physical therapist help treat your foot pain? Foot pain is a frequent reason why people visit their podiatrist or orthopedic physician. With over 26 bones, 33 joints, and five ligaments, there are many structures that can be injured in the foot. When these structures become injured or overstressed, pain may result, and limited functional mobility can occur. So, let's get to the bottom of why your feet hurt Plantar Fasciitis Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of foot pain. It results from irritation of a thick band of tissue, called the plantar fascia, that runs across the bottom of your foot. It connects your heel bone to your toes. People with plantar fasciitis experience pain across the bottom of the foot, typically near the inner part of the heel. Discomfort with plantar fasciitis is more common in the morning after waking up and with strenuous exercise like running, although you may feel the heel pain while simply walking. Physical therapy for plantar fasciitis involves using treatments to decrease inflammation and assessing the biomechanics of your foot, ankle, and entire lower extremity. Exercises for plantar fasciitis may include stretching, strengthening, and balance exercises. Plantar Fasciitis: Overview and More Metatarsalgia Metatarsalgia is a condition used to describe a painful foot condition in the area just before the toes, or the ball-of-the-foot. It is called metatarsalgia because the bones in this region of the foot are named the metatarsals. With prolonged jumping or running activities, an increased stress load is placed on this region. Over time, the metatarsal bones become swollen and pain results. Metatarsalgia: Overview and More Posterior Tibial Tendonitis The posterior tibialis tendon courses down your inner lower leg and attaches to the bottom of your foot near the medial arch. The tendon helps support your foot's natural arch, and irritation here may cause pain, limited walking ability, and flatfoot deformity. Treatment for this posterior tibial tendonitis (also called posterior tibial tendon dysfunction) may include exercises for flexibility and strength, balance exercises, anti-inflammatory modalities, and orthotics. Your PT can examine you and determine the best treatment for your posterior tibial tendonitis. Posterior Tibial Tendonitis: Overview and More Turf Toe Turf toe is a sprain at the base of the great toe. It occurs when the big toe bends back beyond its normal range of motion. This often occurs when kicking a soccer ball (and missing the ball and chunking the ground). This can cause a tear in the ligaments that support it. Pain with turf toe is experienced during walking and running activities. You may also experience toe cramping with turf toe. Physical therapy for turf toe involves managing inflammation around your foot and toe and gently restoring normal mobility to the affect toe or toes. Turf Toe: Overview and More Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome Tarsal tunnel syndrome occurs when the main nerve that goes to the foot is compressed by bone or tissue. You may be more familiar with a similar condition in the wrist called "carpal tunnel syndrome." The symptoms of tarsal tunnel syndrome are typically felt on the inside of the foot region and are burning, tingling, and shooting in nature. Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome: Overview and More Foot Pain Treatment Physical therapy is often one of the main ways to treat the symptoms of foot pain. Gentle stretching of the foot often helps to alleviate the discomfort felt due to the above disorders. Occasionally with plantar fasciitis, a brace is worn at night to keep the foot in a stretched position. If you have foot pain, your physical therapist can also offer strategies to help treat your pain and improve your foot function. The ice bottle massage may be done to help control pain and inflammation. Your PT may also have you perform the plantar fascia stretch against a wall. This gently elongates your plantar fascia on the bottom of your foot. A Word From Verywell Foot pain can be a difficult thing to manage. It can prevent you from walking normally and may limit your ability to enjoy normal work and recreational activities. If you have foot pain, check in with your doctor and then visit your physical therapist to learn ways you can overcome your foot pain and return to your normal active lifestyle. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Dealing with joint pain can cause major disruptions to your day. Sign up and learn how to better take care of your body. Click below and just hit send! Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Mueller S, Carlsohn A, Mueller J, Baur H, Mayer F. Influence of obesity on foot loading characteristics in gait for children aged 1 to 12 years. PLoS ONE. 2016;11(2):e0149924. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0149924 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, OrthoInfo. Plantar fasciitis and bone spurs. Lim AT, How CH, Tan B. Management of plantar fasciitis in the outpatient setting. Singapore Med J. 2016;57(4):168-70. doi:10.11622/smedj.2016069 Ross MH, Smith MD, Mellor R, Vicenzino B. Exercise for posterior tibial tendon dysfunction: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials and clinical guidelines. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2018;4(1):e000430. doi:10.1136/ bmjsem-2018-000430 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, OrthoInfo. Turf toe. Reviewed June, 2019. National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus. Tarsal tunnel syndrome. Reviewed March 11, 2019. Cleveland Clinic. Heal pain: common causes, symptoms, and treatments. Reviewed December 13, 2017.