Sometimes pain is a way of telling you your feet need a vacation. Overuse injuries are common, particularly among athletes at all levels and active people of all kinds. It’s just easy to get caught up in what you are doing and ignore the signs that your feet are becoming overworked. When the pain is severe, the damage is already done. There are many sources of foot pain that are actually common overuse injuries. Knowing this can help you manage or prevent them.
Overuse injuries are simple. They are the result of repetitive strain on your lower limbs when they don’t have time to properly rest and recover. Many common foot problems are actually related to overwork, though you might not realize it. Here are some of the more common overuse injuries people face:
- Plantar fasciitis – This type of heel pain develops when constant or repetitive stress and pressure overstretches the plantar fascia band in your sole, which then pulls painfully on your heel bone.
- Metatarsalgia – This is the result of too much pressure on the ball of your foot over time. You develop an aching, burning pain there.
- Stress fractures – Repeated hard impacts jar your bones and can eventually lead to small cracks if your feet aren’t able to rest and heal.
- Morton’s neuroma – Repetitive friction and pressure against the nerve between two metatarsal bones causes this condition.
- Shin splints – Hard impacts and strain over time stresses and eventually inflames the muscles in your shins, causing pain when you are active.