side of foot pain

The purpose of this page is to give you information seekers an easier way to diagnose your pain on the side of the foot. I have noticed that many people use side of foot pain as their "search" term. by knowing where the pain is occurring it becomes easier to identify its source.

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 on the side of the foot, 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.

If mankind never wore shoes most of the bone issues that cause pain on the side of the foot would have never existed. Most of these problems, with the exception of fractures related to trauma, are the result of pressure of a shoe against the foot. The more style to the shoe, the greater the pressure and the greater the occurrence of bone prominent issues.

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.

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.

accessory navicular An extra bone that grows on the inside of the foot that can cause pain from either shoe pressure, or in people whose arch flattens out too much.

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.

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.

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

Ankle pain on the side of the foot can occur either on the inside (medial), or outside (lateral) portion of the ankle and may occur for any number or reasons. Trauma to the ankle, structural deviations in the ankle, and general aging can all lead to ankle problems.

ankle pain for no apparent reason Many people develop pain on the side of the ankle with no history of trauma. Learn what causes this phenomenon.

ankle pain due to trauma An ankle sprain may occur on either side of the ankle although it is far more common on the outside of the ankle.

REFERENCES

Mayo Clinic

Johns Hopkins Medicine

University of Rochester Medical Center