The health of your feet is literally foundational to the wellbeing of the rest of your body. If you have been living with—and ignoring—ongoing pain in your feet, you have probably started to notice an impact in other parts of your body. If you limp, shift your weight, or alter your posture to ease foot or ankle pain, you put stress on other areas. That stress can lead to additional injuries. Soon enough, your ability to keep up with the physical activities you enjoy is affected, and your overall health begins to decline. That is why it is so important to take good care of your feet. 

Common Causes of Foot or Ankle Pain

There are a number of things that can lead to pain in the feet or ankles. Let’s take a look at some of the most common. They include: 

  • Deformities like hammertoe or turf toe. If you have pain in your toes, it may be the result of your footwear choices, your activities, or genetic factors. Wearing ill-fitting shoes, for example, can lead to the contracture of the joints in the toes—a condition known as hammertoes. If your athletic endeavors require you to push off of your big toe repeatedly, you may develop joint pain where the toe attaches to the rest of the foot—a condition known as turf toe. Either of these conditions (and others like them) can make it extremely difficult to continue enjoying many physical activities.
  • Growths like bunions or cysts. A growth on your foot may start out as a minor inconvenience. It might even take some time for you to notice it. But over time, bunions (bumps on the outside of the foot or on the big toe joint), Morton’s neuroma (a tumor in the ball of the foot), or ganglion cysts (swollen sacs of fluid that develop on the top of the foot) can cause increasing levels of pain. This pain can upend your enjoyment of day to day physical activity and prevent you from enjoying sports and other vigorous pursuits. 
  • Inflammation like plantar fasciitis. When the thick band of tissue connecting your heel bone to your toes becomes inflamed, you will likely feel a stabbing pain near the heel. This inflammation is known as plantar fasciitis, and like any inflammation in the foot, it can slow you down and keep you from doing the things you enjoy doing. Posterior tibial tendonitis dysfunction is another condition caused by inflammation that can cause extreme pain in the inner portion of the lower leg, ankle, or foot.
  • Ankle sprains. You have probably heard a coach tell someone to “walk it off” after they’ve had an ankle twist in a painful way. But the fact is an ankle sprain can be quite serious, depending on how much damage is done to the ligaments involved. Those ligaments might be stretched, partially torn, or completely torn. In any of those cases, proper care sets you on a path toward resuming your activities.

Get Lasting Relief From Foot and Ankle Pain or Deformities 

Dr. Amanda and Dr. Drew can help patients of all ages find lasting relief from foot and ankle pain—and can address issues around deformities that may be causing the pain. We want you to enjoy your active lifestyle, and we offer the products and therapies that can make that possible. 

No matter the cause of your foot or ankle pain, our doctors can help. We offer effective treatments that are designed to get you back on your feet—without pain—as quickly as possible. In addition, we are a supplier of O'lukai and Oofos shoes, which offer stylish and supportive alternatives to bulky orthopedic footwear—meaning you can look great and feel great at the same time.

If you are ready to leave your foot or ankle pain behind you, simply fill out our contact form or call us at (904) 236-5023 to set up an appointment in our Nocatee or Jacksonville offices.