Pain on the Inside of the Foot [Causes, Symptoms & Best Treatment]
Do you have pain on the inside of the foot? The #1 cause is posterior tibial tendonitis. The #2) most common cause is plantar fasciitis. Fix it 100%
Table of Contents
Heel Pain Causes: Picture & Photo Gallery
Look:
- One of the top causes of heel pain is plantar fasciitis. This is damage to a ligament that holds your heel to your toes.
- Another root cause of heel pain has flat feet.
- There are also photos of heel spurs that can occur to the bottom of your heel (plantar fascia insertion) and the back of your heel (Achilles tendon insertion).
- Baxter’s nerve entrapment can also happen at the bottom of the heel.
- An underlying cause is an overpronated flatfoot or an over a supinated high arched foot.
- A plantar fibroma is a thick nodule that can occur within your plantar fascia ligament and contribute to plantar fasciitis.
- This can lead to the formation of a heel stress fracture( AKA calcaneus stress fracture.)
Please click on the gallery for a guided tour through heel pain conditions!
Symptoms:
The most common symptoms of pain on the inside of the foot dependent specifically on what is causing the pain:
- If you have nerve pain such as tarsal tunnel: The symptoms will be numbness burning and tingling. These can be worse at nighttime.
- If you have posterior tibial tendinitis, the symptoms will be a deep aching throb that gets worse during the day. This can be known action splints.
- If you have planar fasciitis, this can usually manifest as morning pain that gets better with the first 10-20 steps.
- Nerve pain generally causes numbness, burning and tingling.
- Muscle pain usually causes a deep aching throb that gets worse during the day.
Causes:
There are 3 very common causes of insight of the foot and inside of the ankle pain:
1) Posterior tibial tendinitis:
- Posterior tibial tendinitis is a long tendon on the inside of your foot and ankle.
- This functions to turn your foot inward or invert her foot.
- This is also known as shin splint when it becomes painful.
- Posterior tibial tendinitis is related to overpronation of your foot.
2) Plantar fasciitis:
This is generally known as morning pain that gets better with the 10-20 steps at the beginning of the day.
- This can cause bottom of the heel or inside of the heel pain.
- Plantar fasciitis can lead to heel pain.
- This is related to overpronation of your foot.
- This is a ligament that anchors your heel to your toes.
- If this is left unchecked for numerous years and can eventually lead to a heel spur.
3) Tarsal tunnel syndrome:
Tarsal tunnel syndrome is not nerve that runs on the inside of your foot and ankle.
- This provides sensation to the palm of your foot.
- If this is swollen and irritated it could lead to sharp shooting stabbing pain.
- This can also cause heel pain bottom of the foot pain at night.
- This can usually occur due to compression through the foot and inside of the ankle.
4) Baxter’s nerve entrapment:
- If you have nerve pain along the inside bottom of your heel. This may be an entrapped heel nerve.
- This is called Baxter’s neuritis.
- The Baxter’s nerve is a nerve that runs along her plantar fascia on the inside of your heel, this can lead to numbness burning and tingling on the inside of your heel.
Nonsurgical treatment options:
If 6 months go by and there is little resolution in symptoms, the following treatments should be added to the treatment regimen:
- Custom orthotic devices
- Night Splints to stretch out your plantar fascia & gastroc-soleus(Calf muscles) complex during sleep
- Repeated steroid injections
- Injection of botulinum toxin
- Course of physical therapy
- Short Leg walking boot to offload fascial strain
- If high BMI- A weight loss course should be initiated
Pain on the inside of the foot outcomes:
According to scientific literature there should be aprroximately an 85-90% resolution of pain over a period of 2-3 months and if you continue with the treatment regimen for 1 year there should be a resolution of symptoms in approximately 90-95% of poeple
If there is difficulty with this stage of treatment and time continues to progress then it may be essential to move onto surgery as all conservative treatment has been exhausted. It may be a good idea to also make sure to go back to the beginning and make sure again that you rule out the following:
- Bilateral Plantar fasciitis
- Inflammatory Arthritis
- Nerve Problems
- Back Problems
Best Heel Pain Products:
- There are usually two phases to treating plantar fasciitis pain.
- The two phases of treatment include controlling the acute inflammation, and correcting the biomechanics which led to the problem in the first place.
- If the tendons and ligaments are inflamed, they are almost frozen in place and cannot function properly.
- Once the inflammation is decreased, we need to correct the bio-mechanical causes to ensure that they can never become over worked and inflamed again!
- This doesn’t matter whether it’s plantar fasciitis, plantar fibroma, sore bottom of foot, or even Achilles tendon pain. Treatment is all roughly very similar.
Plantar Fasciitis or Achilles Tendonitis Inflammation:
Massage & Ice Products:
- Ice is the an excellent option that can be safe for almost everyone.
- There is some debate whether icing is worth doing, but for chronic pain this can help limit the need for medications and keep your options open.
- This works great for your arch, less for the ball of the foot.
- The more muscle and ligament tissue there is, the better ice will work there.
Menthol Based Gels:
- Biofreeze is one of our favorites.
- These gels have been studied to work 2x as long as ice.
- This works great for the ball of the foot.
- This can be very effective for bottom of the heel and Achilles tendon sore regions.
Massage Sticks:
- These can work great for loosening your muscles.
- This allows less tightness and pressure on the ball of your foot.
- This is very effective for the arch, the gastrocnemius or calf muscle and for the hamstring and thigh muscles.
- This also works very well for the gluteus muscles if you are having butt cheek or hip pain.
Remove the Plantar Fascia or Achilles Tendon Stress:
- The key is to prevent future pain.
- This means keeping you active while keeping stress off of your plantar fascia tendon. This will prevent future re-injury and development of plantar fasciitis.
- If you can get rid of the pain and swelling, this will let you start walking normally.
- If you can walk normally, the vast majority of your pain should gradually start to go away.
- The best way to ensure that your plantar fascia, foot and ankle ligaments are not overworked is to support them.
- The best way to support them is to use great orthotics and great shoes.
- Some people may also need to rely on supportive ankle braces and other supportive modalities.
The Best Heel Pain & Plantar Fasciitis Shoes:
- Getting a great supportive pair of shoes will make sure that there is pressure removed from the heel and plantar fascia region.
- This is especially important if you have plantar fasciitis, heel spur pain or Achilles tendonitis.
- Consider shoes combined with a good supportive orthotic for best pain relief!
- The following link will show you what our favorites are.
Best Heel Pain & Plantar Fasciitis Orthotics:
- These are our recommended orthotics for plantar fasciitis.
- Custom orthotics can work very well, but they should not be a first line of treatment.
- There are different types for different shoes.
- Women’s shoes usually need a less bulky orthotic, but allow for less correction.
- A full length orthotic requires a running shoe, boot or comfortable walking/dress shoe.
- We recommend doing everything you can to get a good supportive shoe that can fit a full length orthotic.
- This is the best way to maximize your orthotics for great results.
Best Full Length Orthotics:
- These will only work in wider shoes or a good supportive running shoe.
- This will not work in sandals, flats or most women’s dress shoes.
Best Dress Shoe Orthotics:
- These are a great choice for dress orthotics.
Best 3/4 Length Orthotics:
- These are great options for women’s dress shoes and thinner shoes.
- These are not the most supportive pair of orthotics.
Get A Great Dynamic Stretch:
- It is possible to stretch on your own, but these products can also really help!
- This will take pressure off of the ball of your foot.
- We personally prefer this method of stretching.
Get A Great Static Stretch:
- These devices are great for stretching while you are resting.
- This will also help take pressure off of the ball of your foot.
- This works great for plantar fasciitis.
- It can be used while watching TV or at night time.
Best Heel Compression Brace:
- A good compression brace can stabilize your foot from turning outward.
- This prevents your foot from pronated.
- Pronated foot will turn your foot outward in your foot will rub on the outside of the shoe.
- For many of her patients this has solved their pain and is very comfortable to wear inside your shoe.
- This solves both pain and outward pronation for a relatively low cost.
Best Heel Stability Brace:
- Stability brace goes little bit further than the compression brace to stop your foot from turning out.
- This takes pressure off of your heel and plantar fascia.
- At the same time this is a little bit bulkier and does not affect every shoe.
- We find people are little bit happier trying the compression brace before the stability brace.
Heel Injury:
- If you think you might have a broken heel, a calcaneal stress fracture or something of similar severity, these products might help!
- Always remember to see a foot and ankle specialist like a podiatrist if you are having plantar fasciitis or more severe pain!
Plantar Fascia Tear, Broken Heel Bone, Achilles Tendon Tear:
- If you have a traumatic injury such as a torn plantar fascia ligament, calcaneus stress fracture, heel fracture or insertional Achilles tendon injury: consider protecting your foot!
- The best way to do this is of course to see your podiatrist and get evaluated with an x-ray, ultrasound and potentially even an MRI or CT scan.
- If you are unable to do so it may benefit you to be in a cast, fractured boot, or even keep the weight off of it with a rolling knee scooter or other protective devices.
- We as podiatrists frequently take patients off work for very long period of time when they suffer a traumatic injury, unfortunately there is no other way around us in labor jobs.
- If you have a sit down job there are ways to get people back to work quicker, but this can be very difficult otherwise.
Heel Injury Boot Treatment:
- There are pros and cons to using a boot to treat your heel injury. If you are immobilized too long the cons are that you will gradually become stiff and overworked to your other leg. The Pros are that you injured heel will hopefully have a chance to gradually heal!
- Our favorite fracture boots and their supplies:
Offloading and Scooter treatment:
- These are favorite knee scooters and walking devices: