When you're on your feet for work or taking a leisurely run through the neighborhood, your feet take a beating all day. No matter what you're doing, you're at risk for injury and overuse issues.
Foot pain during the day is bad enough, but it's even worse when it strikes at night. Staying up all night trying to alleviate foot discomfort isn't what anyone wants to do – but what are your options?
If you're tired of foot pain causing you not to sleep, Dr. David Deiboldt and the Beltsville Foot and Ankle Center team can help. Dr. Deiboldt is an experienced podiatrist offering various treatments for issues like plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendon problems.
No matter when it occurs, many factors affect foot pain. However, your feet may hurt more at night simply because you've been on them all day.
You probably don't think about it often, but your feet carry your body weight through the day, so it's no wonder they are sore in the evening. However, foot pain shouldn't keep you up at night or be so bad you can't get comfortable.
Although various problems cause foot pain at night, five of the more prevalent causes include the following:
A highly prevalent cause of nocturnal foot pain is plantar fasciitis, which refers to a thick band of tissue under the foot known as the plantar fascia. Plantar fasciitis occurs when that band of tissue becomes inflamed.
If you work on your feet all day, don't wear supportive footwear, or are overweight, your chances of plantar fasciitis are high. High arches and flat feet are also factors in developing plantar fasciitis.
Your shoes are vital to foot health, but many people don't wear the proper support. Being on your feet all day without supportive shoes is a recipe for long, painful nights dealing with foot discomfort.
Supportive, comfortable shoes are crucial to taming foot pain, especially at night. Your feet require support to keep the bones, ligaments, tendons, and nerves happy and to prevent conditions such as bunions from developing.
Nerve pain is often worse at night, especially for those living with peripheral neuropathy. The condition affects the nerves in the extremities, especially those that run down the legs into the feet.
When something damages the nerves, such as diabetes and high blood sugar, they sustain damage, causing various symptoms. At night, you may feel burning or shooting pain in your feet, which makes it hard to get comfortable.
Just as you can overuse other body parts, you can overuse the tissues in your feet. You could be experiencing foot pain at night due to inflammation in the tendons or ligaments, like the Achilles tendon.
Overuse happens when you run or work on your feet day in and day out. Runners also experience stress fractures that may be painful at night from swelling and inflammation throughout the day.
Arthritis is inflammation in any of the joints in the feet and ankles and often worsens at night. Gravity affects the joints when lying down, exacerbating inflammation and pain, especially overnight.
Various forms of arthritis affect the feet, including gout, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis. Most forms of arthritis develop over time and get worse without treatment.
Dr. Deiboldt thoroughly assesses your feet to determine the cause of the pain. He then talks to you about your symptoms to narrow down the possibilities. You may need imaging studies, like an X-ray or MRI, to pinpoint the issue.
The treatment he recommends depends on the cause of the pain. Not every foot condition is caused by the foot, so getting to the bottom of the issue is essential for proper treatment.
Conservative treatments are often the first line of treatment for most foot problems. Dr. Deiboldt offers treatments that target the root of the problem causing foot pain. He starts with physical therapy, shoe changes, and gentle stretching to ease discomfort.
Dr. Deiboldt also examines your lifestyle to see if you can change anything to ease foot discomfort. He may suggest losing weight to relieve pressure on the feet or custom orthotics to address specific foot issues.
Dr. Deiboldt provides steroid injections, platelet-rich plasma injections, and various types of foot surgery to correct the root of the problem if conservative measures aren't enough and your foot pain continues.
After starting treatment, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and caring for your feet is essential in preventing further foot pain at night.
Call Beltsville Foot and Ankle Center today if you have foot pain, or use our convenient online scheduling tool to request a consultation with Dr. Dieboldt.
