Find Relief for Sore Foot Arches

Do your foot arches feel painful and sore? Are you looking for shoes or healthcare products to help your foot arches feel better? FootSmart has teamed with The Podiatry Institute to bring you information on why your foot arches hurt and how you can relieve pain associated with foot arches.

Foot Arches: Location, Location, Location

Before you get help for painful foot arches, it’s important to be sure you’re correctly referring to the foot arches area of your foot. Do you know where your foot arches are located? Your foot arches can be found on each foot between the ball-of-foot area and the heel.

Causes of Sore Foot Arches

Usually when people want a foot rub, it’s because they are experiencing sore foot arches due to poor or ill-fitting footwear, such as high heels. Simply injuring the foot, like when playing sports, can also cause painful foot arches.

Here are some other reasons why you could be suffering from sore foot arches:

Painful Foot Arches Due to Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis, a condition that causes both heel pain and painful foot arches, occurs when the plantar fascia ligament becomes irritated or over-stretched. The plantar fascia ligament, which stretches from the heel to the ball of the foot, supports the foot arches as well, which is why sore foot arches are a common result of plantar fasciitis.

People who develop plantar fasciitis and painful foot arches may have high foot arches that pull on the muscles, tight calf muscles or consistent muscle tension in the area. Improperly warming up or not stretching can also cause plantar fasciitis and painful foot arches.

To get help from sore foot arches due to plantar fasciitis, The Podiatry Institute recommends the following treatments:

• Take pressure off the foot and foot arches.
• Wear insoles or shoe inserts that support the foot arches.
• Wear appropriate shoes – those that support the foot arches are recommended – on a daily basis and when playing sports.
• Wear a heel pad, heel cushion or slight heel lift to relieve pressure on your foot arches.
• Use a heel cup to absorb foot shock that may negatively affect the heels and foot arches.
• Give sore foot arches or heels an ice massage to reduce inflammation and relieve tension.
• Stretch calf muscles to reduce tightness.
• Use a night splint to help avoid morning heel pain and sore foot arches.

Painful Foot Arches Due to Flat Feet

Another common cause of painful foot arches is flat feet.

When your foot arches begin to weaken or your feet start to roll inward (pronation), then you’re at risk for developing a condition called flat feet. People with flat feet have totally collapsed foot arches and no foot arches support. When people with collapsed foot arches shift pressure from walking to other parts of the foot just to avoid discomfort, many other, more serious problems can develop.

Causes of collapsed foot arches include a weakening of the muscles associated with foot arches, standing or walking for long periods of time in poor footwear like high heels, or just simply wearing shoes that don’t properly support the foot arches.

Most people can easily treat collapsed foot arches. Here are some tips from The Podiatry Institute for relieving pain due to collapsed foot arches (flat feet):

• Wear proper shoes that support and stabilize the foot arches.
• Use shoe inserts, orthotics or insoles that support the foot arches stabilize the heels.
• Some people may also want to try custom orthotics to relieve pain from foot arches.

Information on foot, leg and lower body health conditions like painful foot arches provided by The Podiatry Institute, dedicated to advancing the standard of care in podiatric medicine and its effects on musculoskeletal health.