Pain In The Feet, Ankles - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis And Treatment Of Pain In The Feet

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Causes and symptoms of pain in the feet

Complaints of pain in the feet and ankles are quite common among patients. The structure of the foot allows a person to walk on two legs and maintain balance, therefore, the foot is under the heaviest load of the entire musculoskeletal system. And, as a result, it is susceptible to various kinds of diseases and injuries.

Causes of pain in the feet, ankles

Often the cause of pain is uncomfortable, narrow-nosed shoes, too high heels, flat soles as a result of forced deformation of the foot. The pressure on the feet increases significantly with excess body weight, pain is often accompanied by flat feet. In bedridden patients, there is a connection of bones, muscles, tendons in the area of the foot, which also manifests itself in pain.

A history of systemic or chronic diseases have a definite effect on the entire patient's body, including the musculoskeletal system. For example, osteoporosis, chronic or developed as a result of trauma, is the cause of diffuse pain in the foot, local pain, as a rule, is the result of a number of diseases. Problems with the vascular system are often expressed as unpleasant painful sensations.

Symptoms of pain in the feet, ankles

Pain in the heel and arch of the foot is characteristic of plantar fasciitis, which, if left untreated, leads to a displacement of the heel and the appearance of a heel spur. Diseases of rheumatoid or vascular origin, as well as pinched or inflamed nerve, orthopedic problems cause pain in the soles of the feet and ankles. Disruption of normal functioning as a result of age-related or biochemical changes leads to pain.

When wearing narrow shoes, a neuroma usually develops, which is manifested by the proliferation of nerve tissue around the nerve itself. Most often, pain occurs at the base of the 3rd and 4th toes. Injuries or dislocations deform the feet, rupture of ligaments, tendons, fracture or flattening of bones, which is also accompanied by severe pain. At the site of the injury, a tumor, edema, hematoma appears, which disrupts motor function. The manifestation of symptoms depends on the degree and nature of the damage.

Another common cause of pain in the feet and ankles is flat feet, either acquired or traumatic. Patients complain of a burning sensation in the area of the foot, recurring pain when walking and running. Especially prone to this disease are people whose work is associated with a fairly large and prolonged load on the legs, that is, those who spend most of the day in motion. The situation is aggravated by the presence of excess weight in the patient.

Long-term walking, sharp turns, and bends contribute to pain in the ankles, and the presence of high heels, unstable instep supports, tight shoes with narrow noses increase the risk of various ankle diseases.

Men aged 30-45 are more likely to develop erythromelgia, which is a consequence of a number of diseases of a vascular or neurological nature, allergies to medicines, blood diseases or overheating of the feet. Burning attacks in the feet and pains in the toes are most often a reaction to hyperthermia.

But most often, leg pains appear as a result of calluses on the foot, with an ingrown toenail. All these foot diseases are caused by uncomfortable shoes. Plantar warts have a viral etiology and resemble calluses with a black spot in the middle, painful when pressed.

Diagnostics of the pain in the feet, ankles

Diagnostics is carried out on the basis of an external examination, a thorough questioning of the patient, the complaints presented and the presence of other diseases in the anamnesis, provoking the onset of pain in the feet, ankles. The recommended and effective examination method for this pathology is X-ray.

Treatment of pain in feet, ankles

The presence of persistent pain suggests that it is time to start changing your lifestyle. Prevention of vascular damage will be smoking cessation, reducing the consumption of fatty foods, which is the cause of the development of atherosclerosis. Regular exercise and moderate exercise can help improve blood circulation in your legs. It is important to choose shoes with good instep supports and shock-absorbing insoles.

Massage and foot baths perfectly relax the legs and restore normal blood circulation in the feet. Elastic bandages and stockings help relieve tension and reduce the manifestations of pain syndrome in case of impaired blood circulation. Losing excess weight is recommended. In any case, a doctor's consultation is necessary, self-medication can be dangerous and leads to various kinds of complications.

Author of the article: Kaplan Alexander Sergeevich | Orthopedist

Education: diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" received in 2009 at the Medical Academy. I. M. Sechenov. In 2012 completed postgraduate studies in Traumatology and Orthopedics at the City Clinical Hospital named after Botkin at the Department of Traumatology, Orthopedics and Disaster Surgery.