Foot Problems

From warts to bunions, feet can suffer from some painful conditions. Use this chart to find appropriate self-care options.

Step 1

Selecting A Symptom

Back to Symptoms

Step 2

Answering Questions

Is the person a child or a newborn with a foot deformity?
Is the person a child or a toddler with toes that point in?
Did your foot pain begin after intense physical activity, or has the pain slowly worsened over an extended period of time?
Did your foot pain or swelling begin with an injury or accident?
Is there swelling or redness on top of your foot?
Are you unable to stand or walk on your foot and is your foot swollen or bruised?
Is there pain on the bottom of your foot between the ball and the heel?
Is the pain only in one toe and did it start after you hit, twisted, or jammed the toe?
Does your foot look flat and are you experiencing foot pain and pain on the inside of your ankle, along with swelling? Did the pain start after a new exercise routine?
Does your foot hurt somewhere between the heel and the ball of the foot, especially when you take your first steps after getting up the morning?
Do you have a small, hard, thickened area of skin on the bottom of the foot or on the sides of the toe?
Do you have pain in your big toe or in the big toe joint, and does your big toe seem to be deformed, pointing toward the small toes?
Do you have a fever and are your joints tender, sore, red, or swollen?
Do you have a red, swollen big toe that hurts when anything touches it?
Do you have intense pain near your heel when you put weight on it?
Do you have a moist, white, or red area of peeling skin and itching between your toes, and/or scaling and itching skin on your foot, often in a “moccasin distribution”?
Do you have a burning pain at the base of a toe on the bottom of your foot, along with tingling or numbness in your toes?
Is a part of your foot red, swollen, warm, and tender? Do you have a fever or do you feel sick (malaise)?
Have your toes or feet been exposed to very cold temperatures?
Have you lost sensation in your toes or are they discolored and foul-smelling?

Back to Questions

Step 3

Possible Causes

Diagnosis
Foot deformities are not unusual in newborns. CLUBFOOT is a common disorder in which one or both feet are turned inward or downward.

Self Care
See your doctor when you first notice or have a question about any apparent deformities. Treatment is usually more effective when started early.

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Diagnosis
The cause may be INCREASED FEMORAL ANTEVERSION, INTERNAL TIBIAL TORSION, or METATARSUS ADDUCTUS (these three are commonly called intoeing).

Self Care
See your doctor. Your doctor may order imaging or may watch and see if it resolves once the child begins to walk.

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Diagnosis
You may have a STRESS FRACTURE of the bones in your foot. The pain from stress fractures usually decreases with rest and increases with activity.

Self Care
Apply ice to the foot and take an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicine to relieve pain. See your doctor if you don’t feel better within a few days.

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Diagnosis
Your pain may be from damage to the skin or tendons on top of the foot.

Self Care
Use ice and an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicine. See your doctor if the pain doesn’t get better within a few days.

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Diagnosis
Your foot or ankle bone may be FRACTURED.

Self Care
See your doctor promptly. Raise the leg above your heart while sitting or lying down and place ice and a compressive wrap on the swollen area. Consider a soft, but compressive brace and crutches. Take an over-the-counter analgesic, such as ibuprofen to help relieve pain.

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Diagnosis
You may have SPRAINED the ligament in the arch of the foot. Also see PLANTA FASCIITIS below.

Self Care
Use shoes with an arch support and take an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicine. See your doctor if the pain is severe or if you can’t walk on the foot.

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Diagnosis
Your pain may be from TURF TOE (a sprained big toe), a PULLED LIGAMENT, or from a TOE FRACTURE.

Self Care
See your doctor. Applying ice or taping the sore toe to the toe next to the sore toe (with padding in between the toes) can help relieve the pain.

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Diagnosis
You may have FALLEN ARCHES, a condition known as FLAT FEET.

Self Care
Wear shoes that have solid support and avoid weight-bearing activities until the pain and swelling go away. See your doctor if your symptoms persist.

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Diagnosis
Your pain may be from irritation of the arch ligament and tissues, called PLANTAR FASCIITIS or PLANTAR FASCIAL FIBROMATOSIS.

Self Care
Try to keep weight off your foot until the inflammation is better. Use an anti-inflammatory medicine to relieve the pain. Rest and apply ice to the sore area. You can also use a golf ball to massage the sore area, as well as a plastic bottle filled with frozen water (ice massage). Stretches may also help. See your doctor if your pain doesn’t get better.

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Diagnosis
These thickened areas are likely CORNS. If they appear to have small red, purple, and/or brown granules in them, they may be WARTS. A small piece of retained glass or other foreign body/splinter can also cause these problems.

Self Care
Soak your foot in warm, soapy water. Use an over-the-counter CORN or WART remover. Remove the dead skin with a nail file or pumice stone after each treatment. See your doctor if you have diabetes, if the CORNS or WARTS are painful or inflamed, or if they’re large, very numerous, or resistant to over-the-counter medicines.

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Diagnosis
Your toe deformity may be from a collapsing joint, commonly called a BUNION or HALLUX VALGUS.

Self Care
Wear comfortable shoes that provide plenty of room for your toes. Avoid high-heeled shoes. Apply ice, or try over-the-counter medicines, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen to relieve the pain. See your doctor if your condition worsens or the toe begins to move under or over your 2nd toe.

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Diagnosis
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS may be the cause of the pain. A fever, along with a painful, swollen joint could be caused by an INFECTED JOINT. More than one affected, inflamed, or red joint could mean RHEUMATIC FEVER.

Self Care
See your doctor. Treatment for RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS may include medicines, physical therapy, exercise, and in some cases, surgery.

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Diagnosis
You may have GOUT (inflammation caused by high uric acid level in the blood).

Self Care
See your doctor. During a GOUT attack or flare up, you should rest in bed. You can put a hot pad or an ice pack on your ankle to ease the pain. Avoid high fat meals or alcohol, since they are potential triggers of attacks or flare ups.

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Diagnosis
Your pain may be from a HEEL SPUR, a small bulge from the heel bone. More likely, the pain can be due to PLANTAR FASCIITIS or PLANTAR FASCIAL FIBROMATOSIS.

Self Care
See your doctor. Your doctor can suggest special stretching exercises to help relieve the pain. A soft insole or a firm insole with a hole under the spur may also help.

For PLANTAR FASCIITIS, you can also use a golf ball to massage the sore area, as well as a plastic bottle filled with frozen water (ice massage).

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Diagnosis
These may be symptoms of a fungal infection called ATHLETE’S FOOT.

Self Care
Use an over-the-counter athlete’s foot spray or cream. Wash your feet thoroughly with soap and water twice a day. Be sure to dry your feet completely and consider frequent sock changes. If your symptoms aren’t better in 1 to 2 weeks, see your doctor. If the affected area is very red and tender, see your doctor sooner.

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Diagnosis
You may have MORTON’S NEUROMA, a noncancerous growth of nerve tissue.

Self Care
Wear wide shoes with soft insoles. Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicine or ice massages may help relieve the pain. See the self-care section for PLANTAR FASCIITIS for an ice massage.

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Diagnosis
You may have an infection called CELLULITIS. If you have diabetes, an infection of your foot may be more common and more dangerous.

Self Care
URGENT

See your doctor promptly. CELLULITIS is usually treated with antibiotics.

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Diagnosis
FROSTBITE may damage your skin and tissues.

Self Care
URGENT
See your doctor. Warm the feet by immersing them in lukewarm (not hot) water or by applying warm cloths to the affected area.

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Diagnosis
GANGRENE can occur if a body part loses its blood supply because of diabetes or hardening of the arteries.

Self Care
URGENT
See your doctor. Good diabetic foot care may prevent some infections that could lead to GANGRENE and loss of toes. For diabetics, make sure that your doctor is inspecting your toes and feet at each visit and that you have a monofilament test at least annually.

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Self Care
For more information, please talk to your doctor. If you think the problem is serious, call your doctor right away.

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