Foot Pain: Treatment, Procedure, Cost and Side Effects

Foot is the part of the human body at the bottom of the leg on which a person can stand. Foot pain can occur due to various causes. There can be irritation/inflammation of the tissues that connect the heel bone to the toes. Another type foot pain occurs when there is abnormal growth of bone at the bottom of the heel. It occurs due to wearing wrong shoes or having wrong standing and walking postures. Sometimes, a deep bruise can occur on the fat pad of the heel or ball of the foot. A heel fracture can occur due to deep injury in the foot resulting in tremendous pain. A pain can occur due to wearing of poorly fitting shoes, which is called Metatarsalgia. A problem known as Morton’s neuroma occurs when there is a thickening of tissue around the nerves of the foot. Sesamoiditis, is a type of foot pain that occurs when tendons around the foot swells up.

Typical gout or arthritis causes pain in the toes. Nerve problem, or neuropathy is a problem that is caused by diabetes is another problem that can lead to foot pain.

All these foot problems have various types of treatment as well. These include both home remedies as well as specialised treatments. But mostly, these problems do not involve too much medication. Proper care and exercising can solve these problems. Only if the pain is severe enough, it is recommended to visit a doctor for proper advice and necessary treatment.

Pain in one’s feet may be a sign of diabetes, the condition referred to as ‘’Diabetic neuropathy’’. The pain associated is a sharp, burning or intense pain accompanied by tingling and numbness in the feet. It is mild initially, worsens gradually and spread over the whole arms or legs. Any touch to the feet is painful and it affects the walking.

Any pain or discomfort in the foot or any parts of the foot is referred to as foot pain. There may be many causes such as:-

• Improper lifestyle choices which include wearing ill-fitting or high-heeled shoes. Some exercises which feel difficult to do, are also responsible.
• Certain medical or health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes mellitus, obesity, pregnancy and in conditions like fracture, sprain and tendonitis.
• Some other general causes may be corns, calluses, warts, athlete’s foot, hammer toes, gout, Plantar fasciitis and peripheral arterial disease.

Foot pain is considered to be serious when there is an open or pus-filled wound present there, accompanied by severe pain and swelling. Presence of redness, warmth and tenderness along with fever are also the indications of need for the doctor consultation. Other signs indicative of the foot pain being serious include inability to walk and diabetes along with an unhealed wound.

In case of foot pain related to pain in heel or Plantar fasciitis, the best remedies are taking rest, doing muscle stretches and taking medicines if required.

Heel spurs, or abnormal growth of bone at the bottom of the heel can give a person a lot of trouble. Still, this problem can be sorted more or less without a doctor’s help. It requires rest, wearing of pain relieving shoes, resting, doing certain physical exercises like stretching and so on. If the pain is unbearable, only then a person should take medicines or consult a doctor.

A stone bruise is said to happen when a deep cut occurs in the flat of the heels and this also require rest of the affected foot, proper application of ice in the foot is also required. If the pain persists or increases, medicines can be taken.

A heel fracture can occur which may not only crack a bone, but also shatter it. For such a situation wearing of splint, usage of crutches, protection of the heel with pads and physiotherapy are the most common treatments. If the pain is unbearable, or if it is not being cured, proper medications are required or surgery may be needed if the doctor feels it necessary.

Metatarsalgia is also another problem that doesn’t require seeing medical personnel. Wearing comfortable shoes, application of ice and taking rest will help to relieve the pain effectively.

Morton’s neuroma is a problem which can be solved by wearing shoe inserts, avoiding high heels and standing on feet for a long time. In case the pain doesn’t go easily, intake of steroids, medicines or even injection or surgery may be required to cure the pain under the guidance of proper medical personnel.

Sesamoiditis or inflammation of tendons can also be cured by following basic rules as mentioned above. In very few cases, special treatment like steroid injections may be required. In case of gout in the toes, basic care can be taken for pain relief, and consumption of food that increases gout can be reduced. Certain drugs like colchicine and prednisone can be taken.

Nerve damage can be cured by both home remedies like taking rest and light exercises, but surgery or injections should be taken if required and recommended by the doctor.

Any person, irrespective of age are subjected to take these treatments if they suffer from foot pain. Foot problems can happen to any person but most of the problems can be cured easily at home. Rarely injections or surgery are required and it does not have any age barrier as such.

A person who has no problem in his/her foot is not subjected to the treatment for foot pain. But, to prevent these problems, certain precautions can be taken so as to avoid foot pain altogether.

The treatment for foot pain is more or less safe. However, if steroids are taken to treat certain conditions of foot pain, some problems can occur as these happen to be the common side effects for intake of steroids. These side effects include baldness, roughness of the skin, headache, growth deficit, cardiovascular diseases, kidney and liver problems, high blood pressure and stomach ache. In case these problems become serious enough then the patient must consult his/her doctor.

There are no specific post treatment guidelines for most of the foot related problems because most of the problems are solved by home remedies. If a person undergoes surgery, then he/she might have to take rest and do certain physiotherapies in order to heal completely. In case the pain persists then he/she need to consult their doctor to seek medical help.

Recovery after a foot surgery takes a maximum time of 4 to 5 months. Other problems that involve intake of medicine may require a maximum of 3 to 4 months for complete recovery. The problems that only require home remedies like taking rest and light exercises can have different effects on different people, some may cure sooner than the others, depending on their capability to recover.

Price of foot surgery in India starts from Rs. 4 lakhs and can extend up to Rs. 12 lakhs. The treatments that do not involve any surgery, are quite cheaper than the others. It only requires proper care and attention to cure the pain. The treatment is easily available in all cities and towns of India.

After a foot surgery along with proper rest and medication, the pain is usually cured permanently. The home remedies and exercises recommended during the treatment process should be followed strictly to avoid any further problem related to foot pain in future.

Surgical treatment is the best method to cure problems of foot pain. In addition to this, a few pain relief medications as well as injections can be helpful in dealing with patients suffering from such conditions. However, a few alternative treatments for the problem of foot pain involve applying ice packs or hot bags to the affected area, adding Epsom salts or Arnica salts in the bath for foot soak, soaking a washcloth in heated linseed oil and applying it on the affected area, applying slightly heated paste of turmeric is known to have effective results due to its anti-inflammatory properties and so on.