Pain in the soles of the feet under high stress, such as on long hikes,
is known to almost everyone. But older people in particular (according to
the study, around 10
percent of the population over 50 years of age) suffer from painful soles even
when they are resting. Since serious illnesses can be the cause here,
therapeutic help should be sought urgently in the case of repeated, apparently
unfounded pains in the soles of the feet.
Sole Pain - A Brief Overview
The soles of the feet are expose to high loads in everyday life and have
to absorb the pressure of the entire body weight. Occasional pain in the
soles of the feet, especially after strenuous days, is relatively harmless
and quickly disappears when you rest and take a relaxing foot bath . However,
if the symptoms appear regularly and apparently for no apparent reason, there
may be a disease behind them that requires therapy. Here is a brief
overview:
- Definition : Pain in sole of the
foot is pain under the foot, in the area of the heel, on the outer edge
of the foot, on the longitudinal arch or on the ball of the foot.
- Symptoms : Foot pain , which is expressed
by pulling, tingling or pressing pain, which can occur either selectively
or over a large area. Other symptoms such as burning feet , heel pain or swollen fleet can
also occur.
- Possible causes : inflammation,
vascular diseases, sprains, fractures, torn ligaments, rheumatism , gout, osteoporosis,
osteoarthritis, excessive pressure, metabolic disorders, circulatory
disorders, nerve disorders, misalignment of the feet, heel spurs.
- Therapies : Depending on the
cause, the doctor may, for example, prescribe rest, anti-inflammatory
medication, foot massage, physiotherapy, insoles or special orthopedic
shoes.
- Naturopathy : osteopathy, accupunture, nutritional
therapy, homeopathy , Schüßler
salts, hydrotherapy , quark
compresses , medicinal
plants and
herbal medicine.
definition
At this point, all painful complaints under the foot that are not caused
by acute injuries are to be understood as sole pain. This includes pain in
the heel area as well as the outer edge of the foot, the longitudinal arch and
the ball of the foot.
The sole of the foots is exposed to
high loads
As our daily means of transport, the feet are exposed to high loads and
the soles of the feet have to withstand the pressure of the entire body
weight. For this purpose, the sole of the foot has a body of fat as a
substructure, which absorbs impacts and pressure through its cushioning
effect. The heel and ball of the foot carry the majority of the load, so
the fat body is particularly pronounced here. However, these are also the
areas where foot sole pain is particularly common.
Symptom: Sore soles of the feet
The sole of the foot pain can, depending on its causes, affect almost
the entire sole of the foot as a flat, drawing pain or a painful tingling
sensation, or it can also appear as painful pressure pain. Some patients
only have pain in the soles of their feet when they are exerted, others also
suffer when they are resting. Based on the localization, the intensity and
the situations in which the foot sole pain occurs, conclusions can usually only
be drawn about the cause of the complaints.
causes
Foot pain in general can be caused by numerous different causes, ranging
from vascular diseases to sprains, fractures or torn ligaments to rheumatic
diseases, gout , osteoporosis and
osteoarthritis. The pain, however, is often due to excessive
pressure, circulatory
disorders or impairments or diseases of the nerves.
Inflammatory reactions
For example, excessive stress on the soles of the feet can lead to
inflammation of the plantar fasciitis (plantar fasciitis). This
inflammation of the plantar aponeurosis (tendon plate under the foot) usually
manifests itself in pressure pain on the heel bone, which can radiate into the
metatarsophalangeal joints and cause toe pain there . As
a rule, the symptoms are most pronounced in the morning after getting up and
during prolonged exertion. However, some patients feel painful pulling
even when they are touched lightly. Walking is increasingly difficult for
them and they involuntarily put more strain on the other foot, which can lead
to similar complaints here.
Misalignment of the feet
The occurrence of plantar fasciitis is favored by misalignments of the
feet and a correspondingly less favorable distribution of body weight on the
individual areas of the soles of the feet. A heel spur can also
be considered as a trigger for plantar fasciitis .
Nerve impairment
Impairments to the nerves can also cause the symptoms. Pinch-offs
or compressions of the nerve tracts on the entire section between the sole of
the foot and the brain are possible causes of the complaints. The nerves
are pinched off at a narrow point and then send a kind of emergency signal to
the brain, which is usually perceived as a painful tingling or pulling
sensation. This compression can take place locally in the area of the
foot or, for example, in the spine. Accompanying symptoms such as back pain or back pain
or numbness in the legs provide important information here, if and where might
be a pinched
nerve is.
Metabolic disorders
Since metabolic disorders often have a decisive influence on the supply
of the nerves, chronic metabolic diseases such as are often associated
with impairments of the nervous system. These diseases of the peripheral
nervous system, which are summarized under the term neuropathy or
polyneuropathy, may cause sensory disorders that manifest themselves as pain in
the sole of the foot.
Circulatory disorders
A possible cause of the painful soles of the feet is insufficient blood
flow. In peripheral arterial occlusive disease ( PAD ), the blood
flow to the extremities is usually permanently impaired by hardening of
the arties. These
circulatory disorders can lead to a painful tingling and pulling sensation or
even numbness on the soles of the feet. If the PAOD is the cause of the
pain in the soles of the feet, the patients often also suffers from other
diseases of the cardiovascular system (for example coronary artery
disease ).
diagnosis
Experienced therapists can often guess the cause of the pain from a
description of the symptoms as well as a visual inspection and palpation of the
foot. By measuring the nerve conductivity, the suspicion of impairment of
the nerves can be checked and the blood flow can be checked by measuring the
pulse and blood pressure. Blood tests in the laboratory can also help
determine possible inflammation. In orthopedics today, a podoscope is
often used for foot pain in order to determine any misalignment of the feet. Since
a lack of minerals and vitamins can also impair the conductivity of the nerves,
this possibility should also be checked as part of the diagnosis.
therapy
If the sole of the foot pain is triggered by excessive strain, rest is
recommended first of all. If inflammatory processes are suspected, such as
plantar fasciitis, anti-inflammatory drugs are also often used. Sole massages can
also help alleviate the symptoms. Physiotherapy can counteract
possible incorrect loads. Insoles and special orthopedic shoes can also
make a significant contribution to alleviating the symptoms.
Naturopathy
According to the holistic treatment approach of naturopathy,
accompanying complaints of the patient should also be addressed in the
treatment of foot pain. In osteopathy, for example, there is also therapy
for back
pain that occurs in parallel or other tension or
blockages. Furthermore, acupuncture is used very successfully to treat
nerve compression. In the case of a vitamin or nutrient deficiency as the
cause of the nerve impairment, targeted nutritional therapy is also
recommended. Homeopathy also offers a number of starting points for the
treatment of nerve disorders and the corresponding pains in the soles of the
feet, but the application should be left to experienced therapists. The
same applies to the use of theSchuessler salts . Self-directed
therapy is not recommended, as the development of the symptoms should be
monitored continuously and, under certain circumstances, further therapeutic
measures should be initiated promptly.
Prevention
Since incorrect loading and excessive strain are common causes of foot
sole pain, good footwear can help alleviates the symptoms or prevent them from
occurring in the first place. Care should be taken that shoes and
stockings are not too tight and breathable. Frequent crossing of the legs
should also be avoided, as this can lead to circulatory disorders. Herbal
remedies from naturopathy such as horse chestnut extracts can instead support
blood circulation. Grasping exercises with the toes and rolling the soles
of the feet over a hedgehog ball are also beneficial. Furthermore, regular
exercises that train the leg muscles are recommended. Losing excess weight
also reduces the stress on the soles of the feet
