Pain in the arch of your foot may result from an injury to the muscles and tendons of the foot, overuse, or unsupportive shoes. If you are having difficulty walking due to arch pain, it is time to seek medical help, as too much pain can affect your mobility and routine life. Schedule an appointment with podiatry specialists at Premier Podiatry Limited to get back on your feet without suffering pain or discomfort. The specialists make an effort to know you and your feet to determine the causes behind your foot pain and resolve it most successfully. They come up with therapies that work to relieve the discomfort and restore your movements.

Foot Arch pain is a common problem that occurs due to immense pressure going through the feet, especially if you are on your feet a lot. The muscles and tendons that support the foot arches have to work hard to stabilize the foot, and quick fatigue can result in pain in the bottom of the foot.

Unlike other forms of leg or foot pain, pain in the arch of the foot does not get better with rest or a nice warm bath. The pain is disabling and most of it occurs in the foot’s arch area.

Pain in the Arch of Your Foot – What Does It Mean?

The most visible arch, the Inner Longitudinal Arch, is a vital part of your foot. It stretches from the base of your toes to your heel and plays an important role in any activity where you are on your feet.

The arch performs crucial functions:

• It acts as a shock absorber
• It bears the weight of your body
• It creates balance when you walk or move
• It adapts to changing terrain, such as from mountains to flat sidewalks
• It stabilizes movement

Arch pain is a common foot concern that affects runners and other athletes, but it can also occur in people who are not so active. If you have injured any part of the complex network of muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones that comprise this arch or put too much stress on your feet, you can experience arch pain.

What Does the Pain Feel Like?

Arch pain can feel like tightness, pulling, or a burning sensation on the bottom of your foot, typically in the ball and heel. However, as the proper functioning of your ankles, knees, hips, legs, and back relies on healthy feet, you may also feel pain anywhere up the kinetic chain.

Depending on the underlying cause, the pain may worsen during walking, standing, or performing activities involving your feet. Sometimes, arch pain is intense in the morning when you wake up.

Several things can cause pain in the bottom of the feet, and pain under the foot arch is common in athletes, particularly those who push themselves to their limits.

What Causes Foot Arch Pain?

Most of us know that our foot comprises more than 100 ligaments, tendons, and muscles, but we don’t know there are four arches in our foot. They are:

• Inner longitudinal arch – It runs from the ball of the foot to the heel and controls excessive pronation or supination.
• Outer longitudinal arch – It absorbs the roll of the foot as we walk, reducing stress on knees, hips, and ankles.
• Transverse arch – It is located above the heel, and helps to improve balance and increase stability.
• Metatarsal arch – It is spread across the ball of the foot, improving balance and relieving pressure on the forefoot.

An injury to the muscles, bones, ligaments, or tendons that form the arch of your foot can cause pain in the arch of your foot.
The pain can also occur due to structural issues, especially if these structural issues are aggravated by:

• Aging
• Stress
• Weight gain
• Overuse
• Neurological conditions such as Morton’s Neuroma, an inflamed nerve in the ball of the foot

Flat feet and high arches are a few examples of structural issues that can lead to pain in the arch.

Other causes include:

Plantar Fasciitis

It is the inflammation, overuse, or injury to the plantar fascia, a thin sheath of fibrous tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot from the heel to each of the toes and supports walk and foot movement. Plantar fasciitis causes pain and stiffness in the heel and arch. The pain is worse when you wake up in the morning. It can become more painful if you stand for a longer time or take part in activities that require you to be on your feet more.

Plantar fasciitis affects people who:

• Are overweight
• Stand for many hours a day
• Wear worn-out hoses or high heels

You are at increased risk of plantar fasciitis arch pain if:

• You are a woman
• 40 to 60 years old
• Have flat feet or high arches
• Have tight Achilles tendons or heel cords
• Have an unusual walk such as over-pronation

Plantar fasciitis is a common condition and affects about one in ten adults.

Flat Feet

Feet that lack a normal arch are called flat feet. Having a flat foot causes the entire foot to touch the floor when you stand up. Flat feet develop when foot arches collapse, causing the sole to drop out. People with flat feet often develop inner arch foot pain.

This condition is common in children whose bodies are still developing, but it can also develop during pregnancy, after a foot injury, when there is excessive stress on the feet, or as you age, and lead to pain. Some people have fallen arches, which are normal arches that weaken or fall over time due to damaged tendons.

Fallen foot arches may cause the foot to turn outward and lead to:

• Fatigue
• Foot arch pain
• Back and knee pain
• Cramps in the foot arch
• Difficulty in pushing up to your tiptoes

Flat feet do not provide a foundation for healthy posture, which can affect how you walk.

You are at a higher risk of having flat feet if you are:

• An athlete
• Prone to falls
• Overweight
• Diagnosed with a chronic condition such as hypertension, arthritis or diabetes

Some people can become flat-footed even if they had a normal arch before. This condition is known as adult-acquired flatfoot and is common in women over 40 years. Pregnancy can also increase the risk of developing adult-acquired flatfeet. In many cases, it only affects one foot.

Overpronation

When your feet are functioning in a normal, healthy manner, they pronate or roll inward, when you take a step. This is part of the complex biomechanics of motion. In people who overpronate, the feet roll excessively. The outer edge of the heel hits the ground first, and then the foot rolls inwards onto the arch.

With time, overpronation can damage muscles, tendons, and ligaments and cause problems like flat arches and arch pain when you walk.

If you overpronate, you can also experience:

• Knee, hip, or back pain
• Corns or calluses
• Hammer toe

Overpronation makes you vulnerable to stress injuries like:

• Shin splints
• Runner’s knee
• Stress fractures
• Plantar fasciitis
• Achilles tendonitis

With overpronation, you may also notice extra wear on the inside part of the bottom of your shoe, particularly on the inside of the heel and ball of the foot.

High Arches

Also known as the cavus foot, a high arch is a condition where the foot arch is raised more than normal. It is the opposite of flat feet that lack a normal arch. It may be an inherited structural abnormality, or it could result from some neurological condition such as cerebral palsy, stroke, or Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. High arches increase the risk of ankle sprains because of foot instability.

Other health problems associated with high arches include:

• Hammer toe
• Claw toe
• Calluses
• Metatarsal or hairline fractures in the bones of the foot

Most people with high arches experience pain when standing or walking due to excess stress on the bones just behind the toes. In some cases, high arches can cause deformity or permanent damage to foot structure. Finding a shoe that fits well also becomes a problem for people with high arches. They need arch supports, which are specifically designed to relieve pain, provide balance and comfort, and prevent possible disability.

Unsupportive Shoes

It may not sound very significant, but the selection of shoes plays an extremely important role in how your feet feel. Fashionable footwear, particularly women’s shoes, can be uncomfortable and result in pain or discomfort. Foot arch pain is often caused by ill-fitting shoes, especially ones with little arch support or that are too tight.

It has been observed that the more stylish a shoe is, the less supportive it is for the foot. Pointy shoes can pinch the toes, while elegant boots do not offer adequate arch support, which can lead to excruciating pain in the foot arch. According to podiatrists, wearing unsupportive shoes such as high heels, slippers, and sandals can cause long-term heel and ankle pain.

Trying to counterbalance unsupportive footwear by wearing flip-flops or going barefoot at home can worsen arch pain. It is essential to find the right arch support that helps place your feet in their ideal position, distributes pressure evenly across your foot, and aligns your body up the kinetic chain.

Injury or Overuse

Sometimes, overdoing can also lead to foot arch pain. If you are training for a marathon, have exercised too long, or have been wearing worn-out athletic shoes, it can lead to muscle and tendon fatigue and as a result, arch pain. Overuse can lead to injuries, such as strains, sprains, and even hairline bone fractures if you push your body beyond its limits.

Overuse injuries become more common as you grow old, as the body cannot adapt and recover as quickly as it could when you were younger. An injury can also happen suddenly if you slip on a wet surface or twist the arch of your foot.

You can avoid overuse, injuries, and arch pain by wearing supportive shoes that offer good arch support or arch supports that keep your feet in an ideal position. You should also learn to pace yourself by increasing your activity level gradually, and incorporating low-impact exercises in your routine to prevent overuse injuries.

When to See a Doctor?

Mild foot pain can be cured with home remedies such as R.I.C.E, which is rest, icing, compression, and elevation. However, if your pain does not go away or turns severe, it is time to see your doctor.

Call your doctor if you are having:

• Constant, burning arch pain, numbness, or tingling in or around your foot
• Swelling that does not improve after two to five days of home treatment
• Persistent foot pain that does not get better even after several days

Seek immediate medical attention in case of the following:

• You have an open wound
• You have signs of infection, such as redness, warmth, and tenderness in the affected area, or if you have a fever over 100º F (37.8º C)
• You are unable to walk or put weight on your foot
• You are diabetic and have a wound that is not healing or is deep, red, swollen, or warm to the touch

Treatment for foot arch pain will depend on what is causing the pain on the bottom of the foot. Your healthcare provider will ask questions about your lifestyle, activities, work environment, and the type of footwear you prefer to identify the problem and recommend the best solutions for alleviating your pain.

Top Ways to Prevent Arch Pain

You can prevent pain in the arch of your foot by being kind to your feet and taking a break when they are getting tired. Feet are the foundation of a healthy body and taking care of them regularly helps. Even something as simple as a foot massage or an Epsom salt soak can do wonders for your tired feet.

You can avoid arch pain and maintain healthy feet by taking the following steps daily:

• Wear shoes that are in good condition and have proper arch support
• Invest in arch support insoles that are designed to support all four arches of the foot
• Stretch before and after exercise to relieve tightness in the arches and relax them
• Staying away from exercise if you have an injury and giving your feet time to heal properly

Your arch pain may be a symptom of an underlying condition affecting your foot, and ignoring it may result in long-term pain or some complications. Call Premier Podiatry if your arch pain is not going away as proper diagnosis is the first step towards finding a solution. Trevor Prior is a top rated podiatrist with years of experience. He focuses on finding out the causes behind pain in the arch of your foot and recommends treatment options, including lifestyle changes and personally fitted arch supports to ease the pain. He helps you maintain healthy, strong arches that increase your mobility, make you walk better, and be a part of all the activities you love without any restrictions.

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