1. Foot Problems Slideshow Pictures
2. What Feet Say About Health Slideshow Pictures
3. Take the Feet Facts Quiz!

Author:

Jayson Goo, ATC, MA, CKTI

Jayson Goo, ATC, MA, CKTI

Jayson Goo, ATC, MA, CKTI, a National Athletic Board Certified Athletic Trainer, graduated from the University of Hawaii and earned his master's degree in human performance with a specialty in corrective therapy from San Jose State University. Jayson also is an active Certified Kinesio Taping Instructor.

View Full Profile

Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

View Full Profile

In this Article

• How is the foot designed?
• What causes foot pain?
• What other symptoms and signs may accompany foot pain?
• When should I seek medical treatment for foot pain?
• How is foot pain diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for foot pain?
• What follow-up care is needed after foot pain is treated?
• How can foot pain be prevented?
• Foot Pain At A Glance
• Feet Facts FAQs
• Patient Comments: Foot Pain - Effective Treatments
• Patient Comments: Foot Pain - Cause
• Patient Comments: Foot Pain - Symptoms
• Find a local Orthopedic Surgeon in your town
• Foot Pain Index

When the pain begins to interfere with your activities of daily living or if you cannot perform your desired activities without pain, you should consider seeking medical attention. Indicators that you should seek medical care are if the area looks deformed, you have loss of function, change of sensation, a large amount of swelling with pain, prolonged change of skin or toenail color, the affected area becomes warmer than the surrounding areas, becomes exquisitely tender to the touch, or is causing you to move differently.

Proper evaluation and diagnosis of foot pain is essential in planning a treatment. A good general guideline is to compare the injured side to the uninjured side. Injury may present itself as distinguishable lump or gap felt at that location or a "crunchy" feeling on that spot caused by inflammation. The types, causes, and severity (sharp pain versus a dull ache) also are good indicators of the seriousness of the injury.

• Four grades of pain
• During activity
• Before and after, and not affecting performance
• Before, during, and after athletic activity, affecting performance
• Pain so severe that performance is impossible

The doctor will ask you several questions to determine how the problem began. It can be helpful to tell the physician about how and when it started, how it affects you, when it bothers you, what you may or may not have done to make the pain better or worse. If necessary, a thorough physical exam may be conducted to evaluate for any other injuries.

• Feet will be physically and visually examined at rest, with weight- and non-weight-bearing movement by the medical professional.
• The foot and arch will be touched and manipulated and inspected to identify obvious deformities, tender spots, or any differences in the bones of the foot and arch.
• The medical professional will examine how the muscles of your foot function. These tests may involve holding or moving your foot and ankle against resistance, you may also asked to stand, walk, or even run.
• The nerves in the foot will be tested to make sure no injury has occurred there.
• An X-ray, MRI, or bone scan of the foot and arch may be taken to determine if there are abnormalities of the bone and/or soft tissues.