MSK Physiotherapy Resources - Foot

What causes foot pain?

• Weight gain increases the load carried through the small joins of the foot
• A change in your job e.g. more walking and/or standing
• An increase in exercise activity e.g. high impact sports
• Pain from a muscle strain or ligament sprain
• Pain on the bottom of the foot under the toes (e.g. metatarsalgia)
• Pain on the bottom of the heel and may travel into the sole of the foot (e.g. plantar fasciopathy)
• Fractures of the foot bones
• Tendon ruptures
• Muscle weakness secondary to pain
• Other conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or fibromyalgia
• Factors such as poor sleep, stress or anxiety, feeling run down, obesity or smoking

What are the symptoms?

You may experience constant or intermittent (comes and goes) symptoms that are aggravated by certain activities and reduced by others. They may include:

• Pain
• Stiffness
• Reduced range of movement
• Swelling
• Feeling of tightness in the foot muscles
• Pain or tingling between the toes
• Difficulty standing and/or walking that may cause a limp on the painful side

Self Help

Foot pain will normally resolve within 6-8 weeks without any medical intervention. Try some of these self-help measures to aid your recovery:

• A short period of rest (48 hours), foot elevation and ice therapy may be enough to ease your symptoms of pain and swelling
• Try a short course of simple pain medication as advised by your pharmacist
• For the first few days after the onset of pain, changing or reducing your usual activities may help, but gradually returning to all your usual activities and exercise is important to help your recovery
• Wearing appropriate footwear e.g. trainers, to provide support for the foot bones and shock absorption through the shoe's thick soles, may ease your symptoms significantly
• Try to stay at work, or return to work as soon as you are able to. Your employer, GP or Health Practitioner should be able to support a graded return to your normal duties.
• Good sleep habits and managing stress can help you cope better with your pain
• Try some of the exercises on these pages, and build up gradually

Should I refer myself to Physiotherapy?

If you have tried the self-help measures on these pages and the symptoms have not settled, you can self-refer to MSK Physiotherapy if you live in Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland.

For more information on how to self-refer to MSK Physiotherapy visit our Service Page.

You can also self-refer to Podiatry.

When should I seek urgent medical advice?

Call 111 for advice or visit your local Walk-In Centre if you have any of the following:

• you have sudden pain, your foot becomes white or blue and/or numb
• your foot is red, hot, swollen and painful and you have a high temperature
• you have sustained a fall or significant injury to your foot
• you are unable to weight bear
• you have an open wound to the foot

If you are a diabetic patient with an open would, ulcer or a hot swollen foot immediately call NHS 111 for advice or visit a Podiatry Fast Access / Drop in Clinic.

Call your GP if:

• Symptoms are not resolving after a period of rest, elevation, use of pain relief and use of ice
• you are diabetic and develop new symptoms visit your GP within 7 days

General Foot Advice and Exercises

• Pain at the bottom of your foot - plantar fascia pain (UHL)

Foot Surgery - Advice and Information

• Surgery to remove a Bunion (UHL)
• Surgery for ball of foot pain - metatarsalgia (UHL)
• Surgery for big toe arthritis (UHL)
• Surgery to remove bone spurs from your big toe (UHL)
• Surgery to straighten a toe (UHL)
• Surgery to remove a soft tissue lump (ganglion) from your foot (UHL)
• Surgery for nerve pain at the front of your foot - Mortons neuroma (UHL)'
• Steroid Injection for Foot Pain (UHL)

Other Useful Advice or Information

• Understanding Sleep and how to improve it for your wellbeing (UHL)