Top of the Foot Pain:
Top Of Foot Pain? [Causes, Symptoms & BEST Home Treatment]
You have top of the foot pain? We go over the 100% Best home treatment options to fix the 5 most common causes of top of the foot pain!
Table of Contents
Top of the Foot Pain Picture Gallery:
The most common causes of top of the foot pain:
- Top of the foot nerve compression.
- A swollen top of the foot can also occur due to stress across the top of the foot.
- Lisfranc fracture or sprain.
- Sprained top of the foot.
- Top of the foot bone spur.
- Hallux rigidus or dorsal 1st metatarsal joint spur.
- Dorsal foot compression syndrome.
- Flat foot compression leading to osteoarthritis.
So, let’s look at the PICTURES!
Top Of Foot Pain: The most common symptoms seen are numbness, burning and tingling. Especially while running or walking!
Causes:
The most common causes of top of the foot pain are:
Top of the foot extensor tendinitis:
Symptoms:
The most common symptoms of top of the foot pain and on the above-mentioned causes.
The most common symptoms include:
- Numbness, burning and tingling.
- A deep aching throb.
- Pain that is worse in the morning if there is dorsal compression syndrome.
- Bruising and extensive pain with sprain or bruising to the top of the foot.
Is Your Problem At The Top Of The Foot?
Note: Say no if it is anything but at the top.
Say Yes To Top Of Foot Pain If:
- If the pain is at the front of your ankle or top of the foot.
- If you have any bumps or lumps on top of the foot.
- If you have numbness, burning or tingling.
Say No To Top Of Foot Pain If:
- If the problem at your heel.
- If the problem is at the bottom of the foot or the arch.
- If the problem is at the ball of the foot.
- If the problem is at the toes or toenails.
Top Of Foot Pain Causes:
Top Of Foot Numbness Or Tingling:
- The top of foot tingling is usually due to a nerve irritation.
Top Of The Foot Bone Spur:
- A bone spur on top of the foot forms due to abnormal friction and stress on the bone.
Metatarsal Stress Fracture:
- If you are a runner or started heavy walking. It is a slow aching pain.
- This happens gradually over days or weeks.
Fluid Cyst:
- Ganglionic cysts are soft masses across the top of the foot which are not immediately dangerous!
- These are simply pockets of fluid that pouches out from the joints of your foot bones like a balloon.
Extensor Tendonitis:
- Just like a nerve can get irritated on top of the foot, so can tendons.
- Extensor tendons are the ones responsible for lifting your foot toward your shin.
- They can become irritated from being over worked.
Top of the Foot Home Treatment:
- There are usually two phases to treating the top of the foot pain treatment.
- This doesn’t matter whether it’s an intermittent sharp pain on top of the foot, pain on top of the foot near toes, tendonitis on top of the foot, or a top of the foot bone spur. Treatment is all roughly very similar.
- The two phases of treatment include controlling the acute inflammation and correcting the biomechanics, which led to the problem in the first place.
- Great top-of-the-foot shoes and great orthotics lead to the prevention of dorsal compression syndrome. This prevents compression on top of the foot. It prevents the stretching on the bottom of the foot.
- This will also reduce your numbness, burning, and tingling pain.
Control Inflammation:
Massage & Ice Products:
- The metal ball is one of my personal favorites.
- This can work well for a bruised top of the foot.
- This is not a permanent solution. You still need to remove the stress off of the top of the foot.






Menthol Based Gels:
- Biofreeze is one of our favorites.
- These gels have been studied to work 2x as long as ice.
- This can also work as a great option for a bruised top of the foot or top of the foot extensor tendonitis.
- This is not a permanent solution. You still need to remove the stress off of the top of the foot.








Massage Sticks:
- These can work great for loosening your muscles.
- This allows less tightness and pressure on the ball of your foot.
- This works best for extensor tendonitis on the top of the foot.






Removing The Stress:
- The key is to prevent future pain.
- 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.
- This will limit dorsal compression syndrome and limit extensor tendonitis to the top of the foot.
Best Top of the Foot Pain Shoes:
- Getting a great supportive pair of shoes will ensure that pressure is removed from the top of the foot.
- There is much less compression appreciated.
- This is especially important if you have a swollen top of your foot, intermittent sharp pain on top of your foot, and top of the foot compression.
- Consider shoes combined with a good supportive orthotic for the best pain relief!
- The following link will show you what our favorites are.
The Best Top of the Foot Pain Orthotics:
- These are our recommended orthotics.
- There are different types of 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.
Best Full-Length Orthotics:








Best Dress Shoe Orthotics:






Best 3/4 Length 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.








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.






Top of the Foot Pain Trauma:
- If you have a sprain Of the foot, Lisfranc fracture, or a fracture to the top of the foot, you need to protect it.
- The recommended way of doing this is to offload with a good supportive boot or cast.
- 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 cannot 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 a 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 impossible otherwise.
Top of the Foot Fracture Boot Treatment:
- There are pros and cons to using a boot to treat your foot pain. The pros are that your injured heel will hopefully have a chance to heal gradually! If you are immobilized too long, the cons are that you will gradually become stiff and overworked to your other leg. r
- Our favorite fracture boots and their supplies:








Offloading and Scooter treatment:
- These are favorite knee scooters and walking devices.
- If your Achilles tendonitis pain is severe, offloading can be very effective until the pain calms down.

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

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Top of the Foot Pain:
Top of the Foot Pain: