Seeing The Right Foot Doctor

Morning Foot Pain: What This Exclusive Problem May Mean For You

Foot pain is never easy to live with, but when your feet hurt mostly or only in the morning, it's tough to get your day started and also is possible cause for alarm. Don't brush it off or put off getting help, as the problem isn't likely to go away on its own.

What The Problem Could Be

Since you could be dealing with any number of issues, it's important that you speak to a podiatrist about your morning foot pain. Your feet are too important to your functioning to take chances with or really trust the DIY route:

• Arthritis foot pain: Unfortunately, arthritis spares no part of your body and strikes with the most cumbersome pain first thing in the morning. You may not have arthritis anywhere else in your body, but if it is suspected in your feet, it could easily be a sign of things to come for the rest of you. Arthritis can't be cured, but lifestyle changes and TLC can sometimes curb its progression.
• Plantar fasciitis: If the tissue supporting your arches is beginning to wear down, it will cause pain with the first steps you take every morning. This fairly common condition can emerge after overuse (or abuse), with flat feet, with being overweight, or with simply the passage of time.
• Corns or bunions: If you notice an obvious bump of hard, dried skin on your foot, it's probably a corn, sometimes called a callous, and it's likely the result of continued friction. Bunions, on the other hand, are internal, forming on bones, but have a similar cause-and-effect. Both conditions can be excruciating, especially in the mornings, and both should be remedied by a visit to a podiatrist.
• Tendonitis: If the supportive tendons in your feet are starting to wear out and break down, they could easily create a situation where your feet hurt in the mornings. Tendonitis is usually caused by over-use, and the resulting inflammatory condition can be very painful, with relief requiring weeks of icing and rest.
• Peripheral neuropathy: Tingling or numbness in the feet and hands is sometimes reported in people who are borderline diabetics; this is a result of nerve damage and should be seen as a wake up call to re-examine how your body is functioning and whether or not you may be pre-diabetic.
• Poor circulation: The simple lack of adequate circulation may lead to atherosclerosis, where arteries become stiff, resulting in sore feet that take a long time to recover in the morning. This condition may be part of a larger problem affecting your heart and other parts; thus, if circulation is suspected of causing your foot problems, you may need to spring into action immediately.

What You Should Do About It

Your doctor should advise you as to any specific medications or alterations in your foot care routine you should be taking. In addition, they'll likely suggest you support those efforts with sensible lifestyle choices:

• Losing weight: With any foot condition, the extra weight you may be carrying makes a big difference in healing. Try dietary changes, sensible workouts, and whatever means are necessary to lose a few pounds, giving your feet a break. Hopefully, the initial results can power your weight loss forward with more motivation and less pain.
• Wearing smart shoes: It is very unfortunate that the shoes you likely love to wear the most don't do anything positive for your feet. Heels, pointed toes, non-supportive slippers, and other comfortable or stylish models will do nothing to help your foot pain, so asking a professional foot care specialist about serious shoes is in your best interest. Even expensive athletic shoes, if the intended arch support is pushing up against the sides or balls of your feet, could be harmful.
• Stretching before bed and when rising: Gentle stretching does a body good under just about any circumstances, but it can be extremely helpful with poor circulation, arthritis and peripheral neuropathy. You might stick to foot stretching alone, or perhaps you should adopt an entire yoga program for best results.
• Icing or soaking your sore feet: A good foot soaking in warm water may alleviate pain, heal calloused skin, and help you manage an ongoing problem, whereas ice is often used for inflammation. Ask your doctor is you should opt for evening or morning treatment, for optimum results.
• Getting annual checkups and regular health screenings: It's vital to your long-term health and mobility that you listen when your feet are telling you something may be wrong with your body, such as with heart disease and poor circulation or diabetes and tingling or numb feet. Visit your physician on schedule and make sure you're tested for the conditions that may be creeping up on you (and your feet).

Ignoring foot pain doesn't just leave you walking around tenderly each morning, it could be leaving you vulnerable to serious health conditions or worsening of the foot problem itself. Have it checked by going to a podiatry clinic near you, such as Camden County Foot & Ankle Associates, so you can determine the exact cause and the most appropriate solution for you.