Our feet support us all day long but rarely do we give them the attention they deserve until there's something wrong!
77% of people, aged 18 and older, have experienced foot pain in their life. Presumably this wasn't a quick, 5 minutes of symptoms but rather lasting at least a day. Regardless, that's a significant number of people with foot pain! Some cases can be attributed to an easier fix like poor fitting shoes, or standing/walking for a long period of time. Where as others might be related to an injury like twisting your foot/ankle.
Foot pain should not be ignored if it's not starting to resolve in 3-4 days. Why? Besides addressing the issue at hand (or foot, okay not punny at all), it can start to create issues up the kinetic chain. That means everything above the foot and ankle, like the knee and hip. If you aren't able to properly weight bear on the foot, it changes how you move and load the other joints. You can see how this can quickly start to cause other compensatory pain. In the same thought process, you might be experiencing knee and hip pain that can be straight back to dysfunction at the foot/ankle. That doesn't mean that the foot/ankle is necessarily painful, but you might notice less range of motion, or difficulty with certain activities.
Foot pain may be constant, or intermittent with certain activities. Typically seen with weight bearing (standing or walking). Some people notice they can control their pain with good fitting and supportive shoes or activity modifications. If you aren't able to engage in all of your regular exercise and activities, it's time to see a physical therapist!
Your therapist will take you through a series of tests during the evaluation to look at range of motion, strength, and tissue tolerance. Then they will determine the plan of care and the course of physical therapy. A combination of manual therapy and exercise will be tailored to each patient's needs.
Have foot pain? Reach out to us here and come see us today