Soles of the feet Pain on the sole of the foot

Pain under the foot

Foot sore pain under high stress, such as during long walks, are known to almost everyone. But some also suffer during rest periods under painful soles. Since serious illnesses can be the cause here, urgent therapeutic help should be sought in the case of repeated, apparently unfounded soles of the soles of the feet.

contents

• Pain under the foot
• Soles of the feet - a short overview
• definition
• Symptom: Painful soles
• causes
• Inflammatory reactions
• Malposition of the feet
• nerve impairment
• Metabolic disorders
• Circulatory disorders
• diagnosis
• therapy
• Naturopathy
• prevention

Soles of the feet - a short overview

The sole of the foot is exposed to high loads in everyday life and has to absorb the pressure of the entire body weight. Occasional pain in the soles of the feet, especially after strenuous days, are relatively harmless and disappear quickly through rest periods and a relaxing foot bath. However, if the symptoms appear regularly and apparently for no apparent reason, then a disease may be behind it, which requires a therapy. Here is a brief overview:

• definition: Pain in the sole of the foot is pain under the foot, around the heel, on the outer edge of the foot, on the longitudinal arch or on the ball of the foot.
• symptomsFoot pain that manifests itself as drawing, tingling, or squeezing pain, which can be either punctiform or extensive. It can also lead to other symptoms such as burning feet, heel pain or swollen feet.
• Possible causes: Inflammations, vascular diseases, sprains, fractures, torn ligaments, rheumatism, gout, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, excessive pressure, metabolic disorders, circulatory disorders, nervous disorders, malalignment of the feet, heel spurs.
• therapiesFor example, depending on the cause, the doctor may prescribe rest, anti-inflammatory drugs, sole soles, physiotherapy, insoles, or special orthopedic shoes.
• Naturopathy: Osteopathy, acupuncture, nutritional therapy, homeopathy, Schuessler salts, hydrotherapy, quark wrap, medicinal plants and herbal medicine.

Common soles of the feet after strenuous days are normal and known to most people. However, sufferers suffering from such pain on a regular basis and for no apparent reason can be the cause of a therapy requiring treatment. (Image: catinsyrup / fotolia.com)

definition

The sole of the sole of the foot should be understood to mean all painful complaints under the foot that are not caused by acute injuries. This includes both pain in the heel, as well as the Fußaußenrandes, the longitudinal arch and football.

The sole of the foot is exposed to high loads

As our daily means of transportation the feet are exposed to high loads and the sole of the foot has to withstand the pressure of the entire body weight. For this purpose, the sole of the foot has a fat body as a base, which absorbs shock and pressure by its cushioning effect. The heel and ball of the foot bear most of the load, so that the fat body is particularly pronounced here. However, these are also the areas where sole pain is particularly common.

Symptom: Painful soles

The pain in the soles of the foot may, depending on their causes, be as a drawing pain or a painful tingling sensation, they may affect almost the entire sole of the foot or may appear as punctual pressure pain. Some patients only have pain on the soles of their feet under load, while others also suffer from periods of rest. On the basis of the localization, the intensity and the situations in which the soles of the soles occur, it is usually possible to first draw conclusions about the cause of the complaints.

Big or small: The soles of the feet have to withstand heavy loads. After a day on the legs, many people suffer from the soles of their feet. (Image: Wladimir Wetzel / fotolia.com)

causes

Foot pain in general can be caused by many different causes, ranging from vascular disease to sprains, fractures or torn ligaments to rheumatic diseases, gout, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. However, the pain is often due to excessive pressure, circulatory disorders or impairments or diseases of the nerves.

Inflammatory reactions

For example, excessive stress on the sole of the foot can lead to inflammation of the plantar fascia (plantar fasciitis). This inflammation of the aponeurosis plantaris (tendon plate under the foot) is usually shown in a pressure pain on the heel bone, which can radiate into the toe joints and causes toe pain there. As a rule, the symptoms are most pronounced in the morning after getting up and under prolonged stress. However, some patients already feel a painful pulling when they touch lightly. Walking is increasingly difficult for them and they involuntarily burden the other foot more, which can lead to similar complaints here.

Malposition of the feet

Deformity of the feet and a correspondingly unfavorable distribution of the body weight on the individual areas of the sole of the foot favors the occurrence of plantar fasciitis. As a trigger of plantar fasciitis also comes a heel spur into consideration.

Some complaints in the soles of the feet require specialist treatment. If there is no improvement due to rest and home remedies, a doctor should be consulted. (Image: Elnur / fotolia.com)

nerve impairment

Impairment of the nerves can also cause the discomfort. In this case, jamming or compression of the nerve tracts on the entire section between the sole of the foot and the brain should be mentioned as a possible cause of the discomfort. The nerves are clamped at a bottleneck and then send a kind of emergency signal to the brain, which is usually perceived as a painful tingling or pulling. This compression can be done locally in the area of ​​the foot or, for example, in the spinal column. Accompanying symptoms such as low back pain or backache or numbness in the legs provide important clues as to whether and where a nerve may be pinched.

Metabolic disorders

Since metabolic disorders often have a significant influence on the supply of the nerves, chronic metabolic diseases such as diabetes are often associated with impairments of the nervous system. These disorders of the peripheral nervous system, grouped under the term neuropathy or polyneuropathy, may cause sensory disturbances, which manifest themselves as pain in the area of ​​the sole of the foot.

Circulatory disorders

As a possible trigger of painful soles is also to call a low blood flow. In the case of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), the perfusion of the extremities is usually impaired by arteriosclerosis. These circulatory disorders can lead to a painful tingling and pulling up to numbness on the sole of the foot. If PAOD is the cause of the pain in the soles of the feet, patients often suffer from other diseases of the cardiovascular system (for example, coronary heart disease)..

Pain on the soles of the feet can u.a. also be treated with special creams. (Image: Edler von Rabenstein / fotolia.com)

diagnosis

Experienced therapists can often already guess the cause of the pain from a description of the symptoms as well as a visual inspection and a sampling of the foot. By measuring the nerve conductivity, it is possible to check the suspicion of an impairment of the nerves, and blood circulation can be controlled by means of pulse and blood pressure measurement. Blood tests in the laboratory can also be used to detect possible inflammation. In orthopedics, pelvic pain is commonly used today to identify any malalignment of the feet. Since a lack of minerals and vitamins can affect the conductivity of the nerves, this possibility should also be checked as part of the diagnosis. If necessary, imaging procedures such as classical X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) can be used to secure the diagnosis..

therapy

If the soles of the soles of the foot are caused by excessive stress, rest is recommended. In addition, suspected inflammatory processes, such as plantar fasciitis, often use anti-inflammatory drugs. Also, soles massage may help to relieve the symptoms. Physiotherapy can counteract potential stress. Insoles and special orthopedic shoes can also contribute significantly to alleviating the symptoms.

Naturopathy

In accordance with the holistic treatment approach of naturopathy, the treatment of the pain in the soles of the foot should also address the accompanying complaints of the patients. For example, osteopathy also involves the treatment of back pain or other tensions or blockages occurring in parallel. Furthermore, acupuncture is quite successfully used to treat nerve compression. In the event of a vitamin or nutrient deficiency as the cause of the nerve damage, targeted nutritional therapy is also recommended. Homeopathy also offers some starting points for the treatment of neuralgia and corresponding foot sore pains, but the treatment should be left to experienced therapists. The same applies to the use of Schüßler salts. Self-directed therapy is not recommended, as the development of the symptoms should be monitored on an ongoing basis and, if necessary, further therapeutic measures may be initiated in a timely manner.

These are examples of suitable naturopathic measures for pain in the soles of the foot. If the symptoms do not improve with the treatment, a specialist should be consulted. (Image: MicroOne / fotolia.com / heilpraxis.de)

prevention

Since stress and overload are common causes of pain in the soles of the feet, good footwear can help alleviate the discomfort, or even prevent it from occurring. It should be ensured that shoes and stockings are not too tight and breathable. Frequent overlapping of the legs is also to be avoided, as this may promote circulatory disorders. Natural herbal remedies such as horse chestnut extracts may instead support blood circulation. Gripping exercises with the toes and rolling the soles of the feet over a hedgehog ball are equally beneficial. Furthermore, regular exercises that train the leg muscles are recommended. Reducing excess weight also lowers the strain on the sole of the foot. (fp, vb; updated August 13, 2018)