Love them or hate them, there’s no two ways about it – we use our feet a lot. Whether you’re an avid runner or you’re more at home in the yoga studio, our feet take a regular pounding, and foot ailments aren’t exclusive to the older generations, with bunions being way more common in women than men (thanks, high heels).

We take a look at the most common foot issues and offer some tips on how to avoid them. 

Bunions

Bunions are bony lumps on the side of the foot, just underneath the big toe, and they’re especially common in women. While they sometimes have no symptoms, severe bunions can cause pain and toe deformities.

“A bunion is a bony deformity based on the large toe, where the metatarsal bone is pushed outwards and the hallux bone moves inwards, creating a bump,” explains Harley Street podiatrist Marion Yau. “They can be caused by many things, such as family history, pressure from inappropriate footwear or simply the way that you walk. The bony lump grows bigger as the pressure presses into the bone and irritates it.”

So if you’ve noticed your grandparents have bunions, you might want to take some steps to reduce your risk now. “Wearing narrow footwear is the biggest culprit,” says Yau, “so if you have a family history, you should avoid tight, narrow footwear that squeezes or deviates the toes inwards.”

If you don’t have symptoms, no treatment is needed, but more serious bunions can lead to ulceration, pain and infection, so it’s good to catch them early. 

“If you think you have a bunion, you can potentially correct it, or at least prevent it getting any worse,” advises Yau. “You should aim to strengthen the arch of the foot, and pull the big toe away from the other toes to stabilise the joint- try doing this with a rubber band. Along with ditching high heels and narrow shoes, you can try toe splints or silicone toe separators, which work by aligning the toes in a better position.”

Try shoes with a wider toe box, and if you want to wear sandals, opt for ones with structured arch support, such as Birkenstocks.

“If your bunions are painful, try treating them with standard ibuprofen or paracetamol, and wearing wider shoes with a softer sole and lower heel height,” advises Yau. “If these conservative treatments don’t work, then surgery is a last resort.” 

“If you think you have a bunion, you can potentially correct it, or at least prevent it getting any worse,” advises Yau. “You should aim to strengthen the arch of the foot, and pull the big toe away from the other toes to stabilise the joint- try doing this with a rubber band. Along with ditching high heels and narrow shoes, you can try toe splints or silicone toe separators, which work by aligning the toes in a better position.”

Try shoes with a wider toe box, and if you want to wear sandals, opt for ones with structured arch support, such as Birkenstocks.

“If your bunions are painful, try treating them with standard ibuprofen or paracetamol, and wearing wider shoes with a softer sole and lower heel height,” advises Yau. “If these conservative treatments don’t work, then surgery is a last resort.” 

Heel pain

Heel pain is relatively common and can be caused by various foot complaints, depending on where the pain is located.

“Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain, and is caused by muscle tightness, overloading of the feet or incorrect footwear,” explains physiotherapist Helen O’Leary.  “In order to avoid this, it is important to wear supportive/comfortable and well cushioned footwear (making sure that footwear is a good fit). Regular calf stretching and release of the calf with a foam roller can also help, as can using a tennis ball to release the tight fascia on the base of the feet. Make sure that you warm up properly before any sporting activity.”

If you’re experiencing heel pain along the back of the heel and up the leg, it’s likely to be an achilles tendon problem, while sudden sharp shooting pain in the heel could be a heel spur.

“Lack of fat pads in the heels can cause excessive pressure and trauma along the heel and foot, leading to inflammation and pain,” says Yau. “Wearing thin-soled shoes (ballet pumps, flip flops) with no arch support or shoes that are too loose can also contribute to these problems. 

“To lower your risk, always wear appropriate, supportive shoes and check your footwear before increasing your running mileage.” 

Stress fractures 

While this sounds serious, stress fractures in the feet are actually quite common - and you might not even be aware that you have one. Again, they are more common in women than men, and are most likely to occur between the ages of 18 and 35.  If you notice a dull pain, swelling or tenderness after increasing or starting a new exercise regime, you might have a small stress fracture. 

“Stress fractures of the bones in the foot (often metatarsals) can also cause pain,”  advises O’Leary. “These can be caused by repetitive overloading of the foot, especially on harder surfaces, and is most commonly found in runners due to the repetitive nature of the activity. To prevent this, good, supportive footwear will help reduce some of the impact forces that travel through the foot. 

“Working on lower limb strength, such as calf raises, squats and lunges, to make sure the lower limb is strong and biomechanically allows the feet to hit the ground in the correct positions. Calf stretches and using the foam roller will also really help with this.”

Yau also recommends chilling a can of Coke in the freezer, wrapping it in a tea towel and rolling your foot over it. “This can really help relieve inflammation and therefore pain,” she advises. 

And if you need to buy yourself some new shoes, who are we to stop you? 

Images: Getty