side of foot pain

Although my homepage has a Foot-Pain-Finder which helps you identify the type of pain you may be suffering from, I thought a page listing specific symptoms on the side of the foot would make things simpler.

I have listed the more common problems that we foot specialists see on a regular basis, but this list is not all inclusive. Some of these conditions have separate pages which discuss them, a few of them do not (at least at this point in time).

Hopefully this will help you in your search for answers.

tendonitis Diffuse pain on the outside of the foot just in front of the heel. In many cases this is due to wearing a shoe that is too narrow and the tendon (peroneus longus tendon) that travels down along the side of the foot and then cuts under the cuboid bone is irritated.

You may also have tendonitis pain from the tibialis posterior tendon where it attaches into the inside of the foot. In most cases this is due to an arch that collapses too far.

bunion A painful bump on the inside of the foot just behind the big toe. A similar problem called a tailors bunion occurs on the outside of the foot just behind the pinky toe.

bursitis A painful swollen area that usually accompanies a bunion or tailors bunion.

fracture A stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone may cause pain on the outside of the foot. You would suspect this if there were no history of trauma.

cuboid syndrome This pain occurs on the outside of the foot just below and slightly in front of the ankle joint. It is a subluxation of the cuboid bone usually the result of an athletic activity or a sprained ankle.

blisters Usually the result of excessive irritation from the shoe on the foot.

fissures Deep cuts in the skin primarily on the side of the foot in the heel area.