All told, there are 30 bones in your foot. Each bone plays a part in allowing your foot to take your weight, keep you stable and still be flexible enough to provide the movement you need to walk, jump and run. With so many bones in your foot, it isn’t easy to know what is happening if you have pain in your foot. It can be very difficult to even pinpoint the exact location of the pain, let alone know what is actually wrong. Locating and understanding the pain is what we are going to explore today. We are going to have a look at some of the most common conditions that affect the bones in the foot to try and help you find out what is causing your pain. As always, this article is intended to provide you with information to make it easier for you to speak with your doctor about you concerns, it is not supposed to help you treat the condition yourself. With that in mind, let’s take a look at what problems can affect the foot bones.
Common problems with foot bones
Fractures
Fractures are very common in the foot, what with so many little bones inside. If there is too much stress on a bone in your foot or a repetitive stress on your foot, the bones can break. You may also notice pain in your foot if you have fractured an ankle bone. You might find it hard to move your foot and have an area of swelling and redness.
Bone spurs
These are layers of bones that form due to a repeated friction on the bone. A common place to get a bone spur is on your heel. Some people describe the pain from bone spurs like stepping on a pin or a stone. Bone spurs themselves do not hurt, the pain comes from the spur pressing against the soft tissue surrounding it. You might notice redness or swelling around the area, however, typically the only symptom is the pain caused by the spur.
Bunions
A bunion typically affects the big toe, the toe will lean towards the other toes on your foot and you may notice a bony growth on the outside of the toe joint. Bunions are quite painful when wearing tight-fitting shoes.
Turf toe
Turf toe is a fairly common condition affecting athletes. It is a condition that affects the big toe. It will cause you pain, stiffness within the joint and you may also notice a swelling around the joint.
Claw/hammer/mallet toe
One of the most common conditions that can affect the toe joints. The toe joints will get pushed into all sorts of different positions and cause the toes to bend abnormally.
If you think that you have any of the conditions that we have mentioned here, make an appointment with a local foot specialist. They can examine your foot, send you for further tests if needed and then get you the treatment you need. Do not attempt to treat these conditions yourself; you may complicate matters more and spend more time recovering from the condition.