Foot pain is a very common complaint. About 70% of German people will suffer foot pain at some time in their life, especially people who are over 50 years old. The foot is quite a complex structure with 27 bones and 32 joints, inter-layered with over 100 ligaments and muscles. With every step you take, a force of 2-3 your bodyweight is placed on the feet and during one day you will take seven to nine thousand steps. So not surprisingy, at some stage in your life in you will suffer from some type of foot pain condition. This article the most common types of foot pain, including heel spurs, what causes these medical foot conditions and what you can do about them to alleviate foot pain. Foot pain, foot problems, or tired/aching feet many of us just accept these complaints, and don't seek a treatment solution or help from a health professional for their foot problem. Let’s look at the most common foot problems including Ball of Foot Pain, Heel Spur Syndrome, Dry Cracked Heels and more etc and find easy low-cost solutions for lasting foot pain relief and your walking comfort.
Heel Spur and Plantar Fasciitis
Heel spur is by far the most common foot problem in Germany. Probably half a million people in this country per year suffer from heel spurs. Heel pain is often associated with a sharp pain experienced with one’s first steps when getting out of bed in the morning or getting up from a chair after sitting down for a while. Plantar Fasciitis is the Latin term for this condition. It is very common in middle-aged to older people. In fact, half of the over 50 population will develop heel spurs! Commonly heel spur syndrome is caused by a painful stretching and microtearing of the plantar fascia band under the feet. Due to factors such as excessive strain and stress, weight-gain, ageing and/or a poor gait, the fascia ligament becomes inflamed at the calcaneus. After a while a bony spur may develop at the bottom of the calcaneus. The german term for heel spur is Fersenschmerzen and it is a very common foot condition. During rest or non-weight bearing periods the plantar fascia tightens up and becomes shorter. When your bodyweight is rapidly applied to the foot, the fascia stretches out and lengthens in a unnnatural fashion, which then causes microtears in the fascia.
Dry, cracked heels
Dry cracked heels (xeorosis) is a medical condition associated with thickening and cracking or fissuring of the bottom and side parts of your heels. When this problem persists it can lead to more serious problems. If the cracks are bad enough there will be pain on weight bearing and sometimes they will slightly bleed. The edges around the heel will generally develop layers of callous. People who like wearing open or thin soled shoes (like flip-flops) usually suffer more than persons wearing normal closed-in shoes. Factors that can cause cracked heels include: prolonged standing at work or home, especially on hard floor; being overweight because this increases the pressure on the normal fat pad under the heel, causing it to expand; medical conditions predispose to a drying skin – for example autonomic neuropathy in those with diabetes leads to less sweating, leading to a dryness of the skin; skin conditionslike psoriasis and eczema and also diabetes.
Achilles Tendonitis (Back of Heel Pain)
Achilles Tendonitis is Latin for 'inflammation of the Achilles Tendon' which happens to be the longest tendon in our body. This tendon connects the calf muscles to the back of the heel bone just behind the ankle joint. When the calf muscles contract (shorten), they pull on the Achilles Tendon, causing your toes to point down and helping you rise on your toes. Achilles Pain occurs just above the back of the heel and often people experience tightness in the calf muscles at the same time. The Achilles Tendon in this area may be noticeably thickened and tender to the touch. Heel pain is present with walking, especially when pushing off on the toes.