Medical Questions » Feet Questions » Question No. 355
| Question: | I have had a sharp pain in my foot for some years now. X-rays are normal, but the instep becomes very painful. No doctor can find anything wrong. I would be very pleased if you could give me an answer to this. |
| Answer: | I recently read an entire medical journal devoted to the subject of foot pain, and there are several dozen different possibilities. The one that springs most readily to mind is a condition called plantar fasciitis.
The sole of your foot is kept hard and firm by a band of fibrous tissue just under the skin. This is called the plantar fascia. If this becomes stretched, strained or inflamed, it will become very painful. If the foot is rested, the pain settles, but recurs when any prolonged walking or a small amount of running is performed. The only treatments are very prolonged rest, anti-inflammatory medications, and sometimes injections of steroids into the tender part of the foot.
Other causes of foot pain include arthritis, gout, corns, plantar warts, bunions, poor circulation, anaemia, nerve inflammation, minor cracks in the bones and scores of others. If your GP is unable to find a cause and effective treatment, request referral to an orthopaedic surgeon for further assessment.
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