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Why does the top of my foot hurt?

Pain on the top of your foot can be excruciating. There may be times when it is difficult or impossible to walk even a few steps. Assuming there is no visible injury, you can attribute the pain to anything from an ingrown toenail to gout. Here are some of the most common reasons you might have pain on the top of your foot.

Nerve Entrapment: Your shoes have quite an effect on the health of your foot. Shoes that are too tight, including athletic footwear can cause nerve entrapment, also known as a “pinched nerve”. Repeated pressure on one area irritates the nerve and can cause an amazing amount of pain. Ice, rest, and a change to less constricting footwear should resolve the pain.

Midtarsal Fault: The arches in your feet are meant to absorb the shock when running, walking and standing. Therefore, when the arches fall and you suffer with flat feet, the tarsal bones can become compressed, which leads to damaged joints, bone spurs, and irritation. The top of your foot may be slightly swollen, have red spots, and pain will increase with activity. Improper footwear is one of the main causes of this condition.

Metatarsal Stress Fracture: Stress on the metatarsal bones (the five long bones in the front of the foot) can cause tiny cracks in the bones. This is a very common injury for athletes, dancers and those who return to exercising after a long layoff.

Extensor Tendonitis: The extensor tendons lie just under the skin on the top of the foot. Their job is to pull the toes up away from the ground, and when they become irritated, the pain can be unbearable and often confused with a fracture. The most frequent cause of this complaint is once again, footwear that’s too tight.

Other reasons for pain in the tip of the foot may include bone spurs, sprain, aging (arthritis), hammertoes or gout.

In sum, pain on the top of the foot could indicate a mild irritation to your nerves or tendons from tight shoes, or a more serious condition. If rest, ice or over the counter anti-inflammatory medications along with proper footwear and insoles do not relieve the symptoms, you should seek the help of a podiatrist immediately.

Bernadette D. Gibson, a board certified and licensed pedorthist, is the proprietor of Foot Solutions, a health and wellness franchise that focuses on foot care and proper shoe fit. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Foot Solutions Incorporated or any of its subsidiary and/or affiliated companies. Please direct any questions or comments to nassau@footsolutions.com or 322-FOOT.

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