Five Conditions That Cause Chronic Foot Pain
Few things can hijack your life like chronic foot pain, which makes finding relief a top priority. The most important step you can take is to first identify the problem so you can receive the treatment you need to move without pain.
At Western Orthopaedics, our team of specialists excels in diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal problems from head to toe. To give you an idea of the wide range of conditions that can cause chronic foot pain, we’ve pulled together five of the most common.
1. Foot and toe deformities
Many patients come to us with progressive foot and toe deformities, such as:
- Bunions
- Hammertoes
- Fallen arches (flat feet)
- Mallet toes
- Claw toes
These conditions are typically caused by contractures or imbalances in your tendons or muscles and can lead to chronic pain.
2. Arthritis
There are several forms of arthritis that can affect your feet, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout. It’s important that we first determine which type of arthritis is causing your foot pain, as we treat each quite differently.
For example, osteoarthritis is chronic and degenerative, and our goal is to slow the progression of the disease. Gout, on the other hand, tends to have flare-ups and is often tied to your diet.
Lastly, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder, which we manage through specific medications and lifestyle recommendations.
3. Bursitis
Joints in your feet contain bursa sacs, which help to prevent friction within your joint. If a bursa sac becomes inflamed, it can lead to chronic foot pain.
4. Achilles tendonitis
Your Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in your body and connects your calf muscles to your heel bone. If this tendon becomes inflamed, which is called tendonitis, it can lead to pain in your heel.
5. Bone spurs
If a joint in your foot develops bone spurs, depending upon their size and location, you can be left with foot pain. There are many reasons why these bony growths occur, with arthritis, Achilles tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis leading the charge.
Treating your foot pain
Once we identify the source of your foot pain, we can help you find relief with one or more of our many treatment options, which include:
- Padding and inserts
- Changes in footwear
- Medications
- Injections
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Physical therapy
In some cases, surgery may be your best option for relieving chronic foot pain, especially for irreversible conditions such as toe deformities or bone spurs.
If you’d like to put an end to your chronic foot pain, contact one of our offices in Denver or Arvada, Colorado, so that we can properly diagnose and treat the problem.