Your foot absorbs two to three times your body weight in force when you run, so it's no wonder that foot problems are common among athletes who run and jump. Overuse injuries are the most controllable and also the most common causes of foot pain. Overuse injuries are frequent among experienced athletes and new athletes alike. Stress fractures and tendonitis are common causes of pain along the side of your foot when you run and jump. Always visit a doctor to get an accurate diagnosis.
Stress Fracture
Stress fractures are frequent causes of foot pain. A stress fracture is actually a series of microfractures that develop when a bone is subjected to repetitive, rhythmic impacts such as those you experience as a runner or while doing aerobics. The navicular bone is especially prone to stress fractures. (ref1)You'll feel this pain near the back of your midfoot area. It may radiate along the arch of your foot. Pain from a stress fracture will start out as vague and aching pain that increases with activities like running and jumping. Rest, ice and anti-inflammatory medicine followed by a gradual return to activity are common treatments for stress fractures. Your doctor may recommend a cast or walking boot. Rare cases require surgery.
Posterior Tibialis Tendonitis
If the pain runs along the inside of your foot near your ankle it may be posterior tibialis tendonitis. During your gait this tendon absorbs eccentric forces and stabilizes your midfoot. Rest, ice and anti-inflammatories are used for mild cases. You may need orthotics to correct your problems that raise your risk for this condition, such as overpronation. Pronation, in which your foot rolls inward and your arch flattens, is a normal part of walking and running gait. However, if your foot rolls too far or stays rolled in too long you are an overpronator. This creates extra stress on the inner surface of your foot and raises your risk for posterior tibialis tendonitis.
Peroneal Tendonitis
If you get pain along the outside edge of your foot you may be suffering from peroneal tendonitis. This tendon passes under the outer ankle bone and attaches to the outside of your foot. Treatment is the same as posterior tibialis tendonitis. Excessive supination raises risk for this condition. Supination occurs when your foot rolls outward, placing most of your weight on your foot's outside edge and raising its arch. This also is a normal part of gait. Too much supination, however, is hard on your ankles and reduces your foot's ability to absorb shock when you run and jump. Your doctor may recommend different running shoes or orthotics to correct this problem. This condition also is commonly associated with lateral ankle instability. After treatment with rest, ice and pain medication your doctor may recommend a physical therapy program to improve muscle strength and propriperceptive ability. Exercises that improve proprioception, or your sense of where your body is in space, include standing on one foot and work on wobble boards.
Considerations
Numerous factors raise your risk for an overuse injury to your foot besides overpronation and excessive supination. These include running on hard surfaces, increasing workout intensity or duration too quickly, poor footwear such as worn-out shoes that have lost shock absorbency, poor nutrition such as an eating disorder, irregular menstruation if you are a woman, overtraining, being older than 40 and running on canted roads or uneven surfaces. Weakness or tightness in your muscles raise risk as well. Anatomical abnormalities, such as a leg-leg difference, bow legs and flat or high arches also raise risk. You often can address anatomical issues with orthotics.
References
- "The Sports Medicine Bible"; Lyle J. Micheli and Mark Jenkins; 1995
- FamilyDoctor.org: Running -- Preventing Overuse Injuries
- "Clinical Sports Medicine"; Walter R. Frontera; 2007
- "American Family Physician"; Tarsal Navicular Stress Fractures; Eric E. Coris and John A. Lombardo; 2003
- "Physical Therapies in Sport and Exercise"; Gregory S. Kolt and Lynn Snyder-Mackler; 2007
