Treating Forefoot Pain
Do you have a sore forefoot? Foot pain can be very frustrating, especially when you are reminded of it every time that you stand or move. The good news is that at Sunnybank Hills Podiatry, we love to get you back on feet and pain-free as soon as possible.
There can be many reasons for your forefoot pain, some of the more common ones are;
- Bony / Joint related (fracture, arthritis, etc)
- Tendon related
- A soft tissue mass (bursitis, neuroma or ganglia)
- Skin lesions (corns, verruca/ plantar warts)
Your foot is a very complex structure, so there is a lot that can go wrong, in each foot there are;
- 26 Bones
- 33 Joints
- 19 Muscles
- Over 100 Ligaments
- & 100s of Nerves & Blood Vessels
When you come in to have your forefoot pain treated, firstly we need to establish how your pain came about, by asking some relevant questions and a physical assessment. We will be asking you questions about your medical history, details of your pain (type, time & previous treatment), activities (including exercise, work, and leisure) and footwear. This information all helps to build a backstory about your pain. The next step is the physical assessment process. This step involves some general and specific tests which may involve looking at your circulation, sensation, movement of joints, the strength of muscles, your foot posture, and your walking patterns.
Based on the information gathered, we should be narrowing down the structures involved and the triggers for your pain. In many cases, we will have a very clear diagnosis and treatment plan to relieve your pain. Sometimes, there may be a couple of possibilities for your diagnosis which may require further investigation.
As you can probably appreciate, it never is a “one size fits all” situation when it comes to treating any foot-related pain. Here are some simple questions to you help understand some possible causes of your pain;
- Check that your shoes are wide enough? Remove the innersoles from shoes, stand on top of the innersole, if your forefoot overhangs the sides by more than a total of 5-10mm the shoe may be too narrow.
- Is the shoe the correct shape? Compare the shape of your shoe and your forefoot, if they don’t match, this could be a problem.
- Have you increased your activity levels over the past few months? Generally, an injury will become noticeable 4-6 weeks after a sudden increase in activity levels.
So if you or someone you know is experiencing foot pain make click here to make an appointment today.
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