Is my foot pain Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome? This question was asked by a reader. Here’s her question.
I was wondering if I have tarsal tunnel syndrome or if it’s something else. Normally my feet don’t hurt, but when I excercise (especially jumping excercises) I get severe pain at the bottom of my foot (in the arch area). The pain is often really bad and this is preventing me from doing a lot of the exercises that I like. I also know that the pain is not caused by bad shoes, because it happens with all shoes, even running shoes. Does this sound like tarsal tunnel syndrome?
Here’s my response:
A “syndrome” is a bunch of symptoms. Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome refers to pain cause by pressure on the nerves that pass through the bones around the ankle. That discomfort is pretty constant, to the best of my knowledge. But yours comes on with exercise. That makes me think of two possibilities: It’s possible that you may need orthotics (arch supports) to support your arches while you jump/exercise. If they are doing a lot of “flexing” with the movement, the muscles in the arches of your feet may be getting strained and complaining.
It’s also possible that tight calf muscles (which could be caused by jumping/aerobic exercises) are causing this pain in your arch. When you work a muscle hard, it becomes stronger–and shorter. This could be causing your arch pain, too. Calf muscles refer pain into the bottoms of feet.
And, it could be the combination of both events.
It may or may not be tarsal tunnel syndrome but here are some suggestions that would also apply to non-invasive natural treatment for Tarsal Tunnel:
Deeply massage the arch of each foot, looking for tender areas and applying pressure to them. Search the whole arch area and press into the areas where the bones and muscles meet (ball of foot and heel.)
You can “massage” your calf by rolling it on a tennis ball as you apply pressure, or on your opposite knee. If you find tender areas, that generally means tight muscles that need pressure or massage to “release” or relax them.
You can also take the time when your muscles are warmed up but before you begin your exercise to stretch your calves. Stretching muscles which have been warmed either with heat or gentle exercise (walking) is more productive than stretching cold muscles. Take care not to over-stretch!
And, lastly, Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome is often treated medically with a good, sturdy arch support so that may be something to try. If you “hit” your arch pain with all of these “weapons” you will probably find the source of the pain in your arch.
