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Your foot is made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, and hundreds of muscles, nerves and ligaments. Given this complex structure and the amount of punishment feet endure every day, it’s no wonder that foot pain is so common.

Foot pain can affect any part of your foot, from your toes to the Achilles tendon at the back of your heel. Some foot pain is simply an annoyance. But foot pain can also be more serious, especially if it affects your ability to work, play sports or get around easily. Minor foot pain usually responds well to home treatment, but disabling pain is likely to need medical attention. If not treated, some types of foot pain can lead to long-term damage or disability.

Foot pain is often caused by improper foot function. Improperly fitted shoes can worsen and, in some cases, cause foot problems. Shoes that fit properly and give good arch support can prevent irritation to the foot joints and skin. There are many types of foot problems that affect the heels, toes, nerves, tendons, ligaments, and joints of the foot.

The symptoms of foot problems may resemble other medical conditions and problems. Always consult your physician for a diagnosis.

A heel spur is a bone growth on the heel bone. It is usually located on the underside of the heel bone where it attaches to the plantar fascia, a long band of connective tissue running from the heel to the ball of the foot. This connective tissue holds the arch together and acts as a shock absorber during activity. If the plantar fascia is over-stretched from running, wearing poor-fitting shoes, or being overweight, pain can result from the stress and inflammation of the tissue pulling on the bone. Over time, the body builds extra bone in response to this stress resulting in heel spurs.

If you consider that each stride an adult takes places 900 lbs. per square inch of pressure on the bottom of the feet it is almost a certain fact that everyone at some time in their life will suffer from some type of foot pain symptoms. Be it something simple like athletes foot, or an ingrown toenail to more complicated problems like a bone spur, hammertoe, bunion, or pinched nerve; from pain on the top of the foot, bottom of foot, ball of foot, side of foot, moving all the way up to chronic foot problems like diabetes or poor circulation.

The purpose of this site is to give a practical discussion of various foot, ankle and lower leg pain, how it occurs and what you can do to alleviate the problem.