Outside of the Foot Pain [Lateral Foot Pain]
Side Of Foot Pain [Causes, Symptoms & Best Home Treatment]
Side of the foot pain is usually due to your 5th metatarsal 90%+ of the time. Don’t worry. This is a normal bone with great treatment options!
Look:
- Outside of the foot, pain can be improved with a few simple treatment changes.
- We are foot doctors & we see this problem get better almost every day.
- The goal is to solve this problem without medication or surgery if at all possible.
So, let’s GO!
Table of Contents
What Causes Side of the Foot Pain & Best Treatment:
- This video goes over what causes outside of the foot pain.
- We then go over the best treatment options!
Causes of the outside of the foot pain infographic:
Outside of the Foot Pain Picture Gallery:
Look:
- Fifth toe pain usually has nothing wrong with the bone unless it has recently been broken. The pain usually results from pressure against the front of the shoe, causing a callus or ingrown toenail.
- The fifth toe joint can cause a Tailor’s bunion to occur. This can also result in nerve pain and arthritis of the fifth toe joint.
- The bone connecting to the fifth toe is called the fifth metatarsal. It is possible to develop a stress fracture or “Jones” fracture.
- It is also possible to have pain and tendons and nerves outside the ankle from pressure against the outside of the shoe.
- The peroneal tendons can also be causing pain. This means the peroneus brevis tendon and the peroneus longus tendon.
- Cuboid syndrome can also cause pain at the back and outside of the foot.
Click on the photo gallery to see descriptions!
Side Of Foot Pain Overview:
There are 3 widespread regions for pain on the side of your foot.
- They are near the pinky toe, near the 5th metatarsal, and the heel ankle region.
- On the inside of the foot, the big toe joint and the foot arch are most common.
Do you have 5th metatarsal pain? This is one of the most common causes of the outside of the foot pain.
Pain On Outer Side Of Foot:
Pain on the outer side of the foot is most commonly in 3 areas:
1)Near the Pinky Toe:
A) Pinky Toe Numbness, burning, or tingling:
- The pinky toe is very exposed and prone to irritation.
- If compressed by the shoe, it can cause numbness, burning, or tingling.
- If injured, it can also lead to being strained or irritated.
B) Callus, bump, or corn on the 5th toe:
- This is a prevalent source of irritation.
C) Sprained Or Broken Pinky Toe:
- If you stub the pinky toe, it has fragile support.
- It can very easily become strained.
The fifth toe is the smallest toe on the foot. Sometimes your entire body weight can crush it against the side of the shoe. This can lead to numbness, burning, and tingling.
D) Tailor’s Bunion:
- This is a bunion of the 5th metatarsal head.
- It is a bump on the outside of the base of the 5th toe.
- This is very prone to irritation.
For pinky toe and 5th metatarsal pain, consider these products:
2) Foot Pain Outside Of Arch:
There are 2 prevalent causes for foot pain on the outside of the arch:
A) Peroneus Brevis Tenonditis:
- This is the most common source.
- This is more common as chronic running pain or pain after running.
B) Jones Fracture:
- This is a fracture of the base of the 5th metatarsal.
- This usually happens with a severe ankle sprain.
Muscle & Tendon Pain:
3) Pain On Outer Side Of Foot Below The Ankle:
- This is most common after an ankle sprain.
- It is also widespread in chronic ankle pain.
- Also, if you have a chronic flat foot.
These are the most common situations:
- Ankle Sprain Treatment.
- Rolled Ankle Recovery Time.
- High Ankle Sprain Recovery Time.
- Ankle Tendonitis.
- Sore Ankles After Running.
- Broken Ankle Recovery Time.
- Broken Ankle or Sprained Ankle?
- Peroneus Longus Tendonitis.
- Peroneus Brevis Tendonitis.
Pain In Side Of Foot:
There are 3 common sites of pain on the side of the foot:
1) Big Toe Joint Pain:
A) Bunion:
- This is by far the most common cause of inside of the foot pain.
- This is when the inside bone bulges at the base of the big toe.
2) Inside Of Foot Arch Pain:
A) Foot Arch Pain:
- This is the most common cause of heel and arch pain.
- This pain is worse in the morning and after rest.
- It is also widespread after standing or walking for a long period of time.
Pain On Side Of Foot:
Do you mean:
Side Foot Pain Running:
Side foot pain running is almost always due to two of the following:
1) Tailor’s Bunion:
- This is the bump at the base of your 5th toe joint.
- It is a prime site of compression and irritation.
- It can cause numbness, burning, and tingling on the outside of the foot!
2)Peroneus Brevis tendinitis:
- This is the bump on the outside middle of your foot.
- If it becomes irritated, you will feel it in the morning and after running!
Burning Pain On Side Of Foot:
- Burning pain on the side of the foot is usually due to shoe irritation.
- This happens when the pinky toe or the 5th metatarsal head rubs against the outside of the shoe.
- The RICE method can treat nerve pain with rest, ice, compression, and elevation.
- It can take a couple of weeks for the pain to go away.
- But correct the constriction within your shoes, or this will keep getting worse!
Sharp Pain On Side Of Foot:
- Sharp pain on the side of the foot is usually due to nerve compression.
- If there is friction, compression, and rubbing over the skin, this can impinge the nerve.
- Don’t worry. This is rarely serious.
- Correct the source of compression, and the sharp pain on the side of the foot will start to go away.
- This may take a couple of weeks to get better, but it will!
For More Side Of Foot Pain Help:
Pain On The Outside Of The Foot Treatment Guide!
Other Causes of Pain in the Small Toes:
Most Likely
- Hammer Toes
- Black or Blood under the Toenail
- Broken Toe
- Swollen Toe
- Foot Corn
- Foot Blisters
- Callus Foot Pain
- Predislocation Syndrome
- Crossing Toes
- Foot Arthritis
- Long Second Toe.
Ball of the foot:
- Capsulitis
- Metatarsalgia
- Morton’s Neuralgia
- Metatarsal stress fracture
- Sesamoiditis
- Predislocation Syndrome
- Turf Toe
- Flexor Tendonitis
- Dislocated Toe
5th Toe
- Tailors bunion
- Cavus Foot
- Swollen Toe
- Jones Fracture
- Peroneus Brevis Tendinitis
Outside of the Foot Home Treatment:
- If you have 5th toe pain, tailor’s bunion pain, outside of the foot pain, or other lateral foot pain, this guide is for you!
- These are the recommended treatment products that will help you get better the fastest.
- The key is to stop your foot from turning outward and causing further damage to your foot.
The real key to fix outside of the foot pain in order:
1) Most important is a good shoe & a good insole for your shoe.
- Good shoes and good foot insoles are the best value and best long-term option.
- This will stop your foot from turning outward.
- Give these 1-2 weeks of effort, and you will really notice the pain relief.
- This does not instantly fix the pain but prevents future damage.
2) Gel pad to offload the toe.
- This will give your toes some cushion to keep pressure off the toes.
- Read below to see the specific gel pads for each specific condition.
3) Ankle brace for a possible correction.
- Check the recommended braces below.
- For ankle pain, this is almost guaranteed to improve your problem.
4) Menthol-based cream for pain relief.
- Creams and gels like Biofreeze act like ice but save you 20 minutes!
- Check below for our recommended pain relief options.
Best Treatment Products:
5th Toe Gel Pads:
- Fifth toe gel pads can stop your fifth toe or your Taylor’s bunion from rubbing against the side of your shoe.
- There are downsides because these don’t last forever, and they do start to break apart and develop older.
- They can be a low-cost option for tighter shoes during business meetings and at work.
Topical Pain Relief Creams:
- Menthol-based creams have been studied medically and show safety and excellent results.
- This is best for nerve irritation.
- This can help with the nerve pain on the outside of the foot. Just don’t use this as your only treatment option.
- This is not fluff, and these are scientifically backed!
- Bio-freeze is cost-effective and shows great results.
- This is more for people who have difficulty sleeping or walking due to significant issues.
Massage & Ice Products:
- Ice is an excellent option that can be safe for almost everyone.
- There are many nerves, ligaments, and tendons on the outside of your foot.
- This can help calm the inflammation until you fix the biomechanics making your foot turn outward.
- There is some debate about whether icing is worth doing, but this can help limit the need for medications and keep your options open for chronic pain.
- This works great for your arch, less for the ball of the foot.
- The more muscle and ligament tissue there is, the better ice will work there.
Massage Sticks:
- These can work great for loosening your muscles.
- More flexibility will make your foot turn out less.
- This is a very counter-intuitive way to take pressure off of the outside of your foot!
- This allows less tightness and pressure on the ball of your foot.
- This is very effective for the arch, the gastrocnemius, calf muscle, and the hamstring and thigh muscles.
- This also works very well for the gluteus muscles if you are having butt cheek or hip pain.
Best Shoes for Side of Foot Pain:
- Getting a great supportive pair of shoes will make sure that there is pressure removed from the outside of your foot
- This is especially important if you have flat feet.
- Consider shoes combined with a good supportive orthotic for the best pain relief!.
- The following link will show you what our favorites are.
Best Orthotics for Side of Foot Pain:
- Orthotics are the single most important way to improve your outside of the foot pain, Seriously!
- Most people don’t think orthotics will fix their foot pain.
- Besides trauma, 95% of all 5th toe, middle of the foot, and outside of the ankle pain can be improved with orthotics.
- This is because orthotics help your foot from twisting out and compressing against your shoe when you walk.
- Would you please not take our word for it? Read the reviews!
Most Important Tips For Orthotics:
- Make sure you have a roomy enough shoe.
- I’m warning you right now, don’t try to stuff a full-length orthotic into a tiny tight shoe. It won’t work.
- If you have tighter or dress shoes: try the dress shoe or 3/4″ orthotics.
Full-length orthotics give you the most correction and improvement:
- If you have roomy enough shoes like running shoes or work boots. Get a full-length orthotic.
- The cushion under the front of your foot prevents it from twisting out against the outside of your shoe as much as possible.
- These are one of the best possible options for the medium and heavy-duty correction!
These orthotics are for slimmer shoes without laces:
- If you are tight in the front of your shoes, or the shoes are tighter, these 3/4″ might be the best choice for you.
- But if you have a choice, the full-length orthotics are much, much more supportive!
- So if you wear work boots or running shoes, get the full length. They get you more support.
Dress Shoe orthotics:
- These are premium leather orthotic recommendations for dress shoes.
- If you have a tight dress shoe get the 3/4″ orthotic.
Outside of the Foot Trauma:
- If you think you might have a broken 5th metatarsal fracture, a Jones fracture, a stub, or a broken 5th toe, these products may be of assistance.
- This guide is meant only after getting your foot evaluated by a foot and ankle specialist first!
- Always remember to see a foot and ankle specialist like a podiatrist if you have severe outside of the foot pain or a broken bone!
5th Toe or 5th Metatarsal Injury Treatment:
- If you have a traumatic injury such as a broken 5th metatarsal fracture, a Jones fracture, a stubbed, or a broken 5th toe: consider protecting your foot!
- The best way to do this is, of course, to see your podiatrist and get evaluated with an x-ray, ultrasound, and potentially even an MRI or CT scan.
- If you cannot do so, it may benefit you to be in a cast, fractured boot, or even keep the weight off of it with a rolling knee scooter or other protective devices.
- We as podiatrists frequently take patients off work for a very long period of time when they suffer a traumatic injury. Unfortunately, there is no other way around us in labor jobs.
- If you have a sit-down job, there are ways to get people back to work quicker, but this can be impossible otherwise.
Outside of the Foot Boot Treatment:
- There are pros and cons to using a boot to treat your outside of the foot injury. The Pros are that your injured lateral foot will hopefully have a chance to heal gradually! If you are immobilized too long, the cons are that you will gradually become stiff and overworked to your other leg.
- Our favorite fracture boots and their supplies:
Offloading and Scooter treatment:
- Sometimes the best thing to do is to keep pressure off of the outside of your foot completely.
- There are benefits to offloading in the early stages of the disease and can give you outside foot relief!
- These are favorite knee scooters and walking devices:
Outside of the Foot Compression Brace:
- A good compression brace can stabilize your foot from turning outward.
- This prevents your foot from pronation.
- The pronated foot will turn your foot outward, in your foot will rub on the outside of the shoe.
- This has solved their pain for many of her patients and is very comfortable to wear inside your shoe.
- This solves both pain and outward pronation for a relatively low cost.
Outside of the Foot Stability Brace:
- The stability brace goes a little bit further than the compression brace to stop your foot from turning out.
- At the same time, this is a little bit bulkier and does not affect every shoe.
- We find people are a little bit happier trying the compression brace before the stability brace.
Outside of the Foot Pain [Lateral Foot Pain]