Are Your Shoes Causing Your Foot Pain?

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At times, the question of whether your shoes are causing pain is a no-brainer. If you’re wearing extravagantly high heels or too-small loafers, the answer is pretty clear. Other times, the connection is far less obvious. If you’ve been experiencing foot pain in Austin, TX without making any recent changes to your footwear or habits, we’ll look at why shoes might still be the culprit.

The Wrong Kind of Support

Your shoes won’t last forever, especially if you tend to put a lot of wear and tear on them. Plus, if you don’t always switch up your shoes for different activities, such as donning cleats for soccer or adjusting your running shoes for the trail, you can see the cumulative effects of those choices over time.

As you consider the type of support you get from different kinds of shoes, be careful not to make assumptions. For example, flip-flops might seem like perfectly harmless footwear. After all, they’re designed to slip on and off. Plus, they probably feel relatively comfortable walking around. However, flip-flops force your toes to curl over as you walk. The extra pressure means that even if you limit them to poolwear only, you can start to have problems over time.

Style and Fit

It’s easy to choose shoes that are in style, particularly when people have high-profile jobs or lifestyles. However, shoes that cramp your feet can cause more than just a few blisters. From unsightly bunions to painful plantar fasciitis, opting for shoes that fit your feet is important.

Seek Advice in Austin, TX

Foot pain can be caused by any number of factors, and unfortunately, it may seem to appear out of nowhere. Whether the problem is related to nerve, muscle, or bone, foot pain is compounded by every step you take.

If you have foot pain that doesn’t seem to be getting any better, you shouldn’t keep hoping it will go away on its own. The right doctor can tell you whether your shoes are the problem and, if so, which ones make more sense for you. If you’re looking for a podiatrist in Austin, TX, contact the offices of Dr. Jeffrey Lamour, DPM.

Why Does Only One Toe Hurt After Running?

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Running injuries may be common, but not all of them are explainable. If you find that just one toe hurts after running when everything else feels fine, you might be confused about the root cause. We’ll look at the most common reasons and what you can do to solve the problem.

Impacted Toe

Even runners with the best fit and form have a tremendous impact on their bodies. Taking precautions (e.g., running in sand or on dirt) can help, but it can’t eliminate every potential issue. An impacted toe in Austin, TX, can result in anything from mild bruising to a stress fracture.

Irritation

A single corn or blister on a toe is fairly easy to spot, but it can start off as just red, irritated skin. A foot doctor in Austin, TX, can tell you that this is usually caused by the repeated friction of your shoes and socks against the skin for miles on end. You can help prevent these issues by moisturizing your feet regularly and using insoles, but you may also need better-fitting shoes.

Runner’s Toe

Runner’s toe is caused when your nail is stressed under the weight of the run, eventually causing it to bleed. As it bleeds, it darkens the toe, which causes it to look black. It’s not dangerous, but it may hurt. You’ll typically see a runner’s toe occur on the big toe, though it’s worth noting that it can happen to any of your little piggies. Your toe may also fall off and then grow back.

What to Do for Toe Pain in Austin, TX

The most obvious way to figure out the cause of the toe pain is to categorize the type of pain you’re experiencing. General pain that goes away after a few days can likely be traced back to improperly sized shoes. Severe throbbing or aching could signify something more serious, like a fracture.

If you’re looking for relief, whether from runner’s toe or hammertoe in Austin, TX, contact the offices of Dr. Jeffrey Lamour, DPM, PA, to see how you can adjust. This way, you can run more miles with less pain.