Foot pain can stem from numerous causes. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, almost all causes of foot pain can be grouped into three categories: ill-fitting shoes, high-impact exercise and certain medical conditions. Most foot pain can be managed conservatively without drugs or surgery. In many cases, especially foot pain caused by inappropriate footwear, pain resolves when the foot is returned to its normal anatomical position and allowed to function like a bare foot inside the shoe.
Inappropriate Footwear
Inappropriate footwear is one of the most common causes of foot pain. According to an April 21, 2008, article by Adam Sternbergh on the "New York Magazine" website, conventional footwear alters normal human gait and hurts the feet. In a 1999 article in "Podiatry Management," Dr. William Rossi, a podiatrist and advocate of minimalist footwear for foot health, states that it took 4 million years to develop the human foot and gait, but that "in only a few thousand years, and with one carelessly designed instrument, our shoes, we have warped the pure anatomical form of human gait, obstructing its engineering efficiency, afflicting it with strains and stresses, and denying it its natural grace of form and ease of movement head to foot." Dr. Ray McClanahan, a sports podiatrist, believes that conventional footwear, including running shoes, causes much of the pain associated with foot conditions such as bunions, plantar fasciitis and Morton's neuroma. The four most problematic design features built into conventional footwear, according to McClanahan, include heel elevation, tapering toe boxes, toe spring and rigid, inflexible soles.
Sports Injuries
Sports injuries are a common cause of foot pain. According to Texas Christian University's Athletic Training Program, some of the most common sports injuries resulting in foot pain include plantar fasciitis, Morton's neuroma, calcaneal apophysitis, sesamoiditis and sesamoid fractures, turf toe, fracture of the styloid process of the fifth metatarsal bone, direct trauma to the base of the fifth metatarsal bone or a Jones fracture and various stress fractures in the foot bones. Other common foot aggravations associated with sports participation include bunions, hallux limitus, corns and callouses and ingrown toenails.
Most of the footwear used for athletic activities is also some of the narrowest footwear available, and may be a significant factor in the onset of foot pain. Examples of conventional athletic footwear that may cause foot deformations and pain include cycling shoes, rock-climbing shoes and running shoes, primarily due to their excessive toe box tapering.
Medical Conditions
Certain medical conditions may cause foot pain. The University of Maryland Medical Center states that any medical condition that alters the way a person walks can contribute to foot pain, which may include conditions that cause foot numbness such as diabetes, leg and foot deformities, spinal problems and neurological problems such as Parkinson's disease or cerebral palsy. Arthritic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and gout may cause foot pain and decrease a person's ability to ambulate. Obesity, pregnancy and certain medications also can contribute to foot pain or swelling. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a division of the National Institutes of Health, a condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease--named after the three physicians who first identified it in 1886-- results in foot deformities such as high arches and hammertoes, and can cause pain that ranges from mild to severe, depending on an individual's expression of the disease.
