Your foot is a complex structure made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, 112 ligaments and a large number blood vessels, nerves and tendons. Your feet endure a large amount of stress with each step you take. As a result, you may experience foot pain or injury from time to time. While a physician should examine persistent foot pain, vitamin D may be able to provide you with some pain relief. Ask your doctor if vitamin D would be beneficial for your condition.
Causes of Foot Pain
Individuals of any age or activity level may be stricken with foot pain or injury at some point or another. Foot pain can have many causes and affect any portion of your foot. MedlinePlus classifies foot pain as any pain or discomfort felt throughout your foot -- including your ankles, arch, heel, instep, sole and toes. Bunions, hammertoes, warts, corns, fallen arches, tendinitis, fractures, stress fractures, arthritis, bone spurs, gout, bursitis, sprains and plantar fasciitis can all lead to pain in the feet.
Vitamin D Deficiency
Known as the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D is essential for your overall health. Vitamin D is broken down by your liver and kidneys and used throughout your body. Without enough vitamin D in your body, you may experience aches and pains in your muscles and nerves. Vitamin D is also important to the health of your bones. This vitamin is essential in helping your body to properly absorb and use calcium. Calcium is vital for strong, healthy bones and joints. Without vitamin D, your body will take calcium from your bones to function properly. As a result, your bones may become soft and spongy. Weak bones are more prone to fractures and pain. Bones that are spongy may expand and irritate the surrounding tissues and nerves.
Vitamin D and Foot Pain
Vitamin D can be helpful for individuals with many different types of aches and pains of the feet. Vitamin D can help alleviate the symptoms of a number of chronic conditions, including diabetic neuropathy, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue system and fibromyalgia. Due to its role in bone health, vitamin D can also help prevent injuries -- such as fractures -- to your bones. Vitamin D can also help to promote the healing of bone, muscle, tendon and ligament injuries that occur in your foot by helping to repair the damaged structures.
Dosage and Sources
Pain-topics.org indicates that healthy adults should consume at least 1,000 international units of vitamin D each day and individuals with chronic pain conditions should consume up to 2,000 IU of vitamin D on a daily basis. You can receive vitamin D through food, exposure to sunlight and supplementation. Food sources of vitamin D include fatty fish and fish liver oil. Vitamin D is rarely found naturally in foods. As a result, a number of products are fortified with vitamin D -- including milk, bread and cereal. Talk to your doctor prior to beginning a vitamin D supplement for foot pain.
References
- "The Vitamin Book"; Harold M. Silverman, Joseph Romano and Gary Elmer; 2003
- Pain-Topics.org: Vitamin D
- MedlinePlus: Foot Pain
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