Is an Overuse Injury Causing Your Foot Pain?

Dr. Brian Nagy | July 25th, 2017

Posted In: General Foot Pain

Pain is the body’s way of telling us that something is wrong; that you have an injury or an illness. When you experience foot pain, your body is telling you that you are injured. According to an article in Podiatry Today magazine, over 50% of all sports injuries are due to overuse, where the repetitive pressure and strain of training and competing takes its toll on an athlete’s feet and ankles. Overuse injuries however are not limited to athletes. People whose careers require them to spend a lot of time on their feet, like nurses, are also at risk of developing overuse injuries in their feet, ankles and knees.

Warning signs of overuse injuries in the foot

Since your feet bear the brunt of the force exerted with every step you take, they are particularly at risk of developing overuse injuries, which can cause quite a bit of pain. Some of the indicators that your foot pain is related to an overuse injury include:

• Pain subsides or gets better after you warm up
• Pain develops or gets worse after you have completed an activity
• Pain that starts and gets worse throughout an activity
• Pain all the time, at rest or during use

Common overuse injuries in the feet and ankles

One of the most common complaints from patients who spend a lot of time on their feet, either for work or play, is heel pain. Both plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis are more likely to develop in over taxed feet. The extra pressure and stress on the plantar fascia and the Achilles tendon can lead to tiny tears and thickening of the tissue due to scarring over time.

The ball of your foot is also prone to overuse injuries like neuromas, metatarsalgia and sesamoiditis because of the excessive pressure on the forefoot causing inflammation and pain. Shin splints, regardless of whether they’re caused by doing too much too quickly or biomechanical issues are more prone to flare up when you overuse your feet and legs.

When the muscles and tendon in your feet and ankles are fatigued or showing signs of injury it can lead to instability in the ankles and make you more prone to sprains.

All of these injuries can also contribute to the development of stress fractures. Repeated force applied over time can lead to these seemingly minor cracks, but if not treated properly they can turn into bigger and more serious breaks.

Catch it early and treat it before it gets worse

If your feet hurt, make an appointment with your trusted New Hampshire podiatrist to find out what’s wrong and get the appropriate treatment. An accurate diagnosis is essential so that you can receive appropriate and effective treatment. If your injury is caused by or made worse by overuse, rest will be an important part of your recovery.

At Nagy Footcare, we help our patients by accurately diagnosing the injury or condition causing your pain and providing comprehensive care to help you lead a pain-free life while helping your body to recover and heal.

Treatment depends on the specific injury causing your pain. We may suggest that you change footwear or start to wear orthotics to provide additional support to your feet. You may need to change your training program, and build your strength and endurance more slowly. We also offer innovative treatments like HyProCure^® to correct the alignment and function of your foot mobility.

So, to make a long story short, yes, an overuse injury may be the root cause of your foot pain. When treatment is so readily available for a wide variety of overuse injuries and other foot conditions.

If your foot pain is preventing you from training or participating in normal daily activities like walking, get treatment now before your condition gets worse. Like almost all medical conditions and injuries, the earlier you get treatment the easier and more effective it will be.