If your feet chronically hurt it is most likely due to extreme muscle and  joint tension.  Though the pain is in your feet, often the precursor to this discomfort is coming from the muscles that move your feet, and those are the muscles found in the lower leg.  In fact there are 13 muscles in the lower leg I like to refer to as long foot muscles, which attach to the foot and are responsible for coordinating foot movement.  So if you want to relieve foot pain, releasing tension in the muscles of the lower leg may be your best remedy.  Below are three examples of  deep long foot muscles.  If your toes curl or hammer, or if you experience pain in the arch of your foot, the causative tension could be coming from any of one of the muscles below:

Flexor hallucis longus & Flexor digitorum longus

Posterior Tibialis

Fibularis Longus

These images are some of the long foot muscles that move the foot and show where they attach to the bottom of the foot.  The upper left leg image presents the two muscles that move (flex) the great and small toes. The second and third leg image show muscles that move the arch of the foot.

What causes foot pain?

Foot pain is often the symptom of pressure caused by shoes that interfere with the function of the long foot muscles–and yes, if this pressure persists it can cause other complications in the joint (ligament) structure of the foot.  There are many names given to foot problems, such as plantar fasciitis, or tendonitis, and they usually have the same underlying basis, which is: muscle tension causing foot pain.

Even the slightest pressure against these long foot muscles will change their power and complicate the orchestration of how they can move the foot–and soon one will complain their feet hurt.  It may seem foreign to hear but tension in these long foot muscles can build to the point of causing you to trip, or stub your toe.  Occasionally this intense muscle pressure has been known to create an avulsion (break) of the bone to which it’s attached.

Beginning left to right–the above image is the path the foot takes in one stride of movement.  The outlined areas signify where feet bear weight. As long as the 26 bones in each foot maintain alignment, and the shoes that cover the feet allow for correct distribution of weight, the feet will be strong– keeping painful events away.

Care and prevention:

• Take a good look at the shoes you wear:  

1. Ask your self “Could I run quickly in these shoes if I had to?” If the answer is “no”, these shoes will upset the healthy coordination of foot movement.   
2. Most importantly– do your shoes fit the size and shape of your foot?
3. After taking your shoes off, do you notice red spots on your feet?  These spots indicate where the shoes are adding pressure against the muscles that move your feet.  Without relief, eventually this pressure will move the bone to make room for the shoes.  

• Place the balls of your feet on the edge of a stair and lower your heels, hold for 3 seconds-(let gravity and your own weight ease into the stretch) then lift your heels so you stand on your toes, hold for 1 second.  Repeat x 5 and gradually build up to 10.

• Find a qualified therapist who understands the muscles of the lower leg to help facilitate the release of  muscle tension.  

• Go barefoot.  This activity helps to release any pressure held against them and gives feet the opportunity to relax.

• Roll your feet over a cold, smooth container to help relieve painful symptoms.

• Rub the bottoms of your feet to help relieve pain in the smaller intrinsic muscles.

Thank you for reading!