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What Are the Causes of Severe Foot Pain?

Severe foot pain can be a serious burden on your life. Not only do you have to deal with the pain, but the underlying condition causing the pain as well. It can be a distraction and radically inhibit your movement. Being immobilized places undue strain on your day-to-day activities, and can require a walker, cane or motorized chair. There are treatments for severe foot pain available, but it's vital to understand the causes before you can seek appropriate care.

  1. Exercise

    • Performing any sort of high-impact exercise can cause damage for your feet, especially if repeated over a long period of time. Examples of such exercise routines include jogging, running, jumping and some dancing. This repetitive and harsh movement can cause blisters, calluses, corns, ankle pain and conditions like plantar fasciitis.

    Shoes

    • Another common cause of foot pain is wearing shoes that do not fit properly. For instance, shoes that are too big can rub and cause blisters, while shoes that are too small can pinch the toes and create corns and even bunions. The same can be said of high-heeled shoes, which cause your weight to be distributed in an awkward manner, causing bunions and arch problems.

    Diabetes

    • Diabetes is one of the biggest causes of foot pain because of the nerve-related injuries the disease can create in the feet. You might develop open sores, dry cracking skin and corns if you have diabetes. Since the nerve receptors can be severely damaged by this disease, the real problem comes when you injure yourself and do not realize it. A cut or scrape can take a long time to heal in diabetes patients, leaving them open to infection and the potential for severe pain.

    Arthritis

    • Some types of arthritis can plague the feet can cause numerous pain-related troubles. For instance, the gout can cause the big toe to swell and become inflamed. This is painful to touch even lightly. Osteoarthritis may also take hold, causing the joints in the toes, foot and ankle to become painfully contorted.

    Pregnancy

    • Pregnancy is a wonderful time of life, but it's especially hard on your feet. Not only are you carrying more weight than you're used to, the weight is distributed unevenly causing you to place your feet differently when you walk. This can cause pain and muscle spasms in the feet, especially the arches. Pregnancy also causes fluid to build up in the body, making swollen, tender ankles a heightened possibility.

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