You go to bed with your feet feeling fine, but when you wake up the next morning, the first few steps are anything but comfortable. You’re not alone. Morning foot pain is a common complaint for many people, especially as we age.
Of course, knowing you have plenty of company doesn’t change the fact that foot discomfort can make even simple routines feel challenging. Without medical guidance, morning foot pain probably isn’t going to miraculously disappear.
Fortunately, there are treatments that can help. But first, we need to figure out what’s causing your symptoms.
At Concord Podiatry, David E. Bliss, DPM, and our team are committed to helping people relieve morning foot pain with patient-centered therapies based on a comprehensive exam and evaluation.
In this month’s blog post, Dr. Bliss reviews some of the most common issues that could be causing your morning discomfort.
While several conditions can lead to morning foot pain, plantar fasciitis is probably the most common.
The plantar fascia is a thick, strong band of tissue that extends along the bottom of your foot from your heel to your toes. It plays a key role in supporting your feet through all sorts of activities.
When this band becomes irritated or inflamed, it leads to a condition called plantar fasciitis, and while pain can come and go throughout the day, symptoms tend to be much worse first thing in the morning.
That’s because while you sleep, the plantar fascia tightens up, and those first few steps tend to cause sharp pain when the tissue is suddenly stretched.
A particular sign of plantar fasciitis is pain that tends to lessen with movement as the tissue warms up. If you sit still for any length of time during the day, those painful symptoms return.
While anyone can develop plantar fasciitis, it tends to occur more often with age, and the risk is also greater for people who spend long periods on their feet and for those who engage in high-impact activities.
People with high arches and tight calf muscles are also affected.
Plantar fasciitis benefits from a comprehensive approach to care, often combining therapies like:
If these conservative treatments fail, Dr. Bliss may recommend surgery to release the plantar fascia or remove heel spurs that irritate the tissue.
While plantar fasciitis might be a common cause of morning foot pain, other conditions can cause similar symptoms.
During your exam and evaluation, Dr. Bliss reviews your medical history and your symptoms, using a hands-on evaluation combined with range-of-motion tests and, often, diagnostic imaging to discover the cause.
When most people think of arthritis, they think of the condition affecting our larger weight-bearing joints, like the knees or hips.
However, the feet are prone to this common problem, too. Each foot has nearly three dozen joints, and every one of them can be affected by the pain and inflammation of arthritis.
Foot arthritis pain can strike at any time, but it often feels worse after hours of keeping your feet at rest. Many people find relief with medication combined with physical therapy and custom orthotics designed to relieve joint strain.
Diabetic foot pain is related to circulation and nerve problems associated with poorly managed diabetes. While it can — and generally does — happen at any time of day, a night of immobility can make symptoms feel worse in the morning.
Often, adjustments to your diabetes treatment plan provide relief, but early evaluation is essential for reducing the risk of complications, like foot ulcers and deep infections.
Muscle fatigue is another possibility, especially if you spent long hours standing or walking the day before. Prolonged standing can overwork the muscles and ligaments in your feet, leading to soreness that shows up the next morning.
In these cases, pain may feel more like a dull ache than a sharp stab. Custom orthotics can be helpful in providing the support your feet need to withstand daily activities without discomfort later on.
Morning foot pain may be common, but that doesn’t make it any less unpleasant. While some types of foot pain are mechanical, others are a sign of a more concerning underlying issue that can lead to more serious complications without proper medical care.
To find out what’s causing your symptoms and how we can help you find relief, request an appointment with Dr. Bliss and our team at Concord Podiatry in Concord and Plymouth, New Hampshire, today.
