
Foot pain is a very common symptom in daily life. Many people think that foot pain is a minor problem, so just bear it. In this regard, Pan Yongxiong, chief physician of the Department of Foot and Ankle and Trauma Surgery of Guangzhou Orthopedic Hospital, said that other systemic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, can also cause foot pain, so it is safer to leave it to the doctor for judgment.
Flip-flops are a must for many people in summer. Pan Yongxiong pointed out that the structure of flip-flops is not conducive to the health of the feet. If you have pain in your calves, soles, toes and arches after wearing flip-flops, you will easily fall down and should not continue to wear them. He also gave specific suggestions on foot protection.
Foot pain is common, don’t carry it hard.
As people pay more attention to foot health, more and more people go to the hospital because of foot pain. However, there are still quite a few people who don’t care, thinking that foot pain is a "minor problem", and it will pass if you endure it for a while.
"Although foot pain is not necessarily a big problem, it is best not to bear it. It will be safer to give it to a doctor for judgment." Pan Yongxiong pointed out that there are many diseases that can cause foot pain, including heel pain, plantar pain, hallux valgus, flat foot, ankle ligament sprain, etc. Different types of foot pain are handled in different ways.
In addition, foot pain may cause damage to other joints, ligaments and tendons in a short time. The longer the time, the more complicated the injury and the more difficult it is to handle.
Generally speaking, foot pain is often related to the following five reasons:
(1) the foot structure is not good
The foot is composed of many small bones, complicated ligament connection and fixation, and the cooperation of many large and small muscles, so that you can really walk well and not get hurt.
If the foot has no normal structure and shape, such as the common flat foot and high arch foot, the stress points on the foot are too concentrated, resulting in soft tissue injury and pain during walking.
(2) The posture of walking is wrong
The posture of walking can greatly affect whether the stress on the foot is uniform and reasonable when landing.
Normally, the human body usually starts to walk with the middle and outer sides of the heel, and then the foot rolls forward like a ball. The stress point of the whole foot is basically concentrated in the middle of the foot, and then it is pushed out from the big toe.
If you don’t walk in this way, it may cause abnormal joint stress, cause joint, tendon and ligament damage, and then lead to pain.
(3) There is something wrong with the shoes.
Shoes are the most common interface for feet. If there is a problem with shoes, it will inevitably cause problems with feet. Tilt sole plane, too soft and too hard sole, uneven sole hardness, and unsuitable space in shoes can all cause certain damage to feet.
(4) Systemic diseases
Some systemic diseases can also cause foot pain. For example, rheumatoid arthritis can cause the joints of the feet to be destroyed, and the damaged joints can’t be stressed, so it will naturally hurt. In general, this situation will lead to the gradual deformity of the foot and the problem of the hand, which requires systematic treatment.
Another common problem is ankylosing spondylitis, which can cause not only spinal injury and joint injury, but also tendinitis, especially Achilles tendinitis, that is, pain on the back of heel.
(5) natural aging
Have old friends found that the older they get, the wider their shoes become? In fact, this is also a natural manifestation of human aging. When you get older, your arch will drop and your whole foot will collapse and become wider.
This change will lead to changes in joint stress, and the stress on plantar fascia will also increase, leading to arthritis, plantar fasciitis and other diseases. If this change is found, it is recommended to adjust the shoes in time.
In addition, with the improvement of people’s fitness awareness, the foot pain caused by sports injuries has gradually increased. Ankle sprain is one of the most common sports injuries in daily life, and most of them can be treated conservatively. However, a few serious ankle sprains can cause lateral ligament rupture, and later ankle instability, cartilage injury and even traumatic arthritis will occur, so surgery is needed at this time.
These "good intentions" may hurt your feet.
The weather is getting warmer, and many people have put on flip-flops. Pan Yongxiong said that although wearing flip-flops will not necessarily lead to foot problems, from the structure of flip-flops, it is not conducive to foot health.
The fixed structure of flip-flops is only the strap between the toes. When walking, it is often necessary to hook back the toes, turn the ankles inward, and grasp the soles to prevent the shoes from falling off. Being in this posture for a long time will lead to abnormal stress on tendons, calf and foot muscles and plantar fascia, and change the walking posture, resulting in injury and pain.
In addition, most of the herringbone brackets are not supported by the arch of the foot, and at the same time they are not fixed by the heel, and the arch of the foot is also prone to fatigue, pain and even inflammation; Flip-flops are unstable, and the soles will fold up if you are not careful, and people will easily fall down.
Pan Yongxiong reminded that if there is pain in the calf, sole, toes and arch after wearing flip-flops, it is easy to fall and it is not appropriate to continue wearing them.
When summer comes, the "runaway" group is becoming more and more active, especially in the cool night, three or five friends form a group and follow the music "moving every time". Does that sound healthy? Pan Yongxiong pointed out that it is better to exercise step by step. If you suddenly walk a lot and your feet are hot and swollen, you can apply an ice pack. If the amount of exercise is moderate, there is no fever or bloating, or it is average every day without any discomfort, you can soak your feet with warm water before going to bed, which will promote blood circulation and quickly repair inflamed tissues. Generally, it is recommended to soak in warm water at 40℃~42℃ for 15 minutes. In addition, it is not recommended for diabetic patients to exercise by "runaway", which may cause diabetic foot.
Many people exercise their feet by stepping on pebbles barefoot. In this regard, Pan Yongxiong said that the appropriate amount of stimulation is helpful to the feet. Stepping on pebbles, pedicure, etc. are all stimuli to the feet, but we should pay attention to observing the foot reaction and proceed appropriately according to our actual situation. If the foot is in the acute stage of pain, it is not recommended to continue stimulation. It should be noted that special people such as diabetics, flatfooters and osteoporosis should not keep fit by stepping on pebbles barefoot.
Take care of your feet from these five details
Want to be nice to your feet but don’t know where to start? Pan Yongxiong gives five life suggestions based on clinical observation — —
Step 1 manage your weight
Most of the foot injuries are caused by weight-bearing activities. If you are obese, most of your arch is stressed, and you may even have flat feet. It is recommended to control your weight within a reasonable range.
It is suggested to lose most of your weight by diet adjustment, swimming, etc., and then do sports such as running. Pay attention to prevent sports injuries during exercise.
2. Practice simple rehabilitation movements.
Gently press Yongquan and plantar fascia to move all joints; Properly pulling the plantar fascia and triceps surae by stepping on the steps can play a certain health care role.
3. Try to soak your feet every day.
Try to soak your feet in warm water every day, which will help to quickly repair the small injuries caused by walking for a day.
Step 4 wear the right shoes
Shoes should not be big or small. Generally, the distance between the longest toe and the front part of the shoe is 1~1.5 cm. Don’t pursue European shoes too much, choose shoes that suit your foot type; There are structural problems, walking posture problems, etc. It is best to use insoles to protect them.
How to choose a pair of suitable shoes? It can be done in three steps: the heel cup should be hard, the outsole should be torsion-resistant, and the front of the shoe can be bent. Meet the above three points, and basically you can choose a pair of shoes that are friendly to your feet!
5. Drink less old fire soup
Drink Lao Huo Tang as little as possible in life to prevent the damage of high uric acid to the joints of feet.
(Text/Guangzhou Daily All-Media Reporter Wang Wei Correspondent Shi Jing Medical Guidance/Director of Foot and Ankle and Trauma Surgery, Guangzhou Orthopedic Hospital Pan Yongxiong Chief Physician)