Milwaukee Foot Doctors Provide Highly Effective Treatment for Top of Foot Pain
Milwaukee Foot Specialists Explain Top of Foot Pain Causes and Treatments
Our Milwaukee foot doctors know top of foot pain can be mild or severe, intermittent or chronic. The average person stands for five hours a day. It’s a lot of stress on the feet. Our feet are complex structures. They are built to absorb the shock of each step. Overuse, medical conditions and sports foot injuries can all cause top of foot pain.
Each foot has twenty-six bones, thirty-three joints, and over a 100 muscles, ligaments and nerves. Your feet support your weight. They are shock absorbers. Your feet propel you forward. They give you balance on uneven surfaces. You need them and you need them to be pain-free.
Top of Foot Pain Causes
Top of foot pain can be caused by many things including excessive use of feet, ingrown toenails, hammertoe, bone spurs and pregnancy. Other causes can be aging, hormonal imbalance, nerve entrapment, metatarsalgia and tendonitis. It’s quite a list of possible causes, yet it’s nowhere near complete. Other problems could be improper footwear, sprains, strains, ganglion cysts and more!
Perhaps the most common cause of pain on the top of the foot is due to inflammation of the tendons extending to the toes. This is called extensor tendonitis. It is caused by too much tightness in the calf muscle. This places a lot of stress on the tendons. These tendons pull the foot upward against the calf muscles.
Foot stress fractures are another common cause for top of the foot pain. Metatarsal stress fracturesare also common. Fractures are caused by repetitive movements, improper alignment of the bones, weak muscles, arthritis, reduced bone density, a sports foot injury or other trauma. Diseases like gout, diabetes, arthritis and tendonitis can also cause top of foot pain.
Tight or improper fitting footwear can also cause top of foot pain as the nerves can become traumatized under pressure.
In children and young adults, general pain on top of the foot can be due to Tarsal Coalition. This condition usually occurs on the outside portion of the foot. A tarsal coalition is an abnormal fusion of bones in the foot. It can be hereditary and tends to get worse with activity. If not treated promptly, it can cause significant arthritis, which will severely limit mobility overtime. Early diagnosis can be made using x-rays and a MRI or CT scan. Early diagnosis and treatment is vital.
Foot Arthritis and Top of Foot Pain
Top of the foot pain extending over a wide area can be caused by degenerative arthritis. This often occurs when people have flat feet or a slowly collapsing arch. In addition to pain, this condition usually causes significant swelling.
Degenerative arthritis can also cause pain in the big toe joint. Jamming this joint can cause bone spurs on top of the foot. Pressure from your shoes can also bring arthritic problems. Treatment for these conditions can involve oral anti-inflammatory medication, shoe inserts, custom orthotics, foot arthritis management and occasionally surgery.
Top of Foot Pain Treatment Options
Wearing proper footwear helps reduce stress on tendons. Exercise to stretch the calf muscle is also effective (our Milwaukee physical therapists can provide a range of exercises to best remedy this type of foot pain). Over-the-counter anti-inflammatories medications can also be helpful to temporarily ease top of foot pain. If these measures do not provide optimal foot pain relief, shoe inserts or custom orthotics can be used in conjunction. In certain cases our Milwaukee foot specialists may recommend laser treatments or surgery.
Milwaukee Foot Doctors Perform In-Depth Diagnosis to Provide the Most Effective Treatment for Your Foot Pain
If you are experiencing pain on top of your foot, you should make an appointment with your Milwaukee foot doctor at Great Midwest Foot and Ankle Centers. Top of foot pain is not normal. It’s often an indication of a more serious problem. It’s vital to discover injuries such as stress fractures right away for treatment to be most successful. If a condition or injury goes untreated, it could develop into a much more serious problem.
When you meet with our Milwaukee podiatrist he will perform a physical and visual exam. Dr. Matteucci will check your gait, weight-bearing and non-weight bearing movements. He will ask about recent activities and medical history. Muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones in the problem area will be evaluated. Depending on the examination X-rays, MRIs or bone scans may be required to rule out specific problems.
Our highly skilled Milwaukee podiatrist will determine which treatment options will be most effective based on the source of the foot and its severity.