Pain, soreness, or cramping in the toes, feet, or ankles

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Pain, soreness, or cramping in the toes, feet, or ankles

Your feet might hurt because you have been wearing shoes that are too tight, lack support, or have high heels. Or maybe you just have not had a chance to sit down all day. Wearing good footwear and taking a break might be all you need to do to relieve your foot pain.

Other possible causes of toe, foot, and ankle pain include:

• Obvious injury. See the topic Toe, Foot, and Ankle Injuries in Related Information.
• Overuse. Injuries from overuse are not always obvious. These types of injuries occur when too much stress is repeatedly placed on your foot or ankle. Examples of overuse injuries include Achilles tendinitis or tendinosis (tendinopathy), plantar fasciitis, and stress fractures.
• Muscle cramps. Cramps often occur in the calf and foot during exercise or while a person lies in bed at night. The muscle may remain sore for hours after the hard, tense cramp has stopped.
• Infection, which may follow a skin injury (sores) or rash (stasis dermatitis) or may develop from a medical condition such as infectious arthritis.
• Skin conditions, such as plantar warts, corns, or blisters.
• Inflammation, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or gout.
• Toe deformities, such as bunions, hammer toes, mallet toes, or claw toes.
• Flat feet.

A small child with foot or ankle pain may limp or be unable or unwilling to walk or stand. He or she may crawl rather than walk.

Credits

Last updated:	October 27, 2008
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Gavin W.G. Chalmers, DPM - Podiatry and Podiatric Surgery
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer