IBJI Blog

Why Do Your Feet Hurt?

While your feet are a small part of your body, they are required to support your entire body weight and allow you to move freely. Not only are your feet incredibly strong, they are also a very complicated structure of 33 joints comprised of 20 bones all attached by many tiny muscles and tendons. When one part of this complex system is damaged by injury, disease, or inflammation it can cause pain that ranges from annoying to horribly debilitating. There are many potential reasons for you to be experiencing pain in your feet, or even in just one foot. These common cause of foot pain include:

• Bunions – An inflamed lump on the bottom of the big toe, usually caused by shoes that are too narrow.
• Flat feet or falling arches – The arch of the foot is no longer present when standing.
• Corns and warts – A thickening of the skin or sores on the soles of feet from rubbing or pressure.
• Hammer toes – Toes that almost look like claws because they curl downward.
• Arthritis – A rheumatic disease with many causes.
• Break & fractures – Traumatic injury as well as stress from weight or normal movement.
• Bursitis – An inflammation in a fluid filled sac that is between the tendons and the skin.
• Gout – Increases in the uric acid in the blood causing joint inflammation.
• Plantar Fasciitis – The thicker tissue on the bottom of a foot become inflamed.
• Sprains & strains – Over stretched or pulled ligaments in one of the foot’s joint.
• Tendinitis – Inflammation that occurs on one of the tendons.

The Elbow Joint Explained

Like the joints in your fingers the elbow is considered a hinge joint, which means that it allows for motion forward and back (flexion and extension) with very minimal twisting. The elbow joins together three bones, the humerus in the upper arm and the radius and ulna in the lower arm. The funny bone in your elbow is a large bony projection from the ulna called the olecranon. A membrane surrounds the entire joint with ligaments joining the three bones together. Two tendons, which attach the bones in your elbow to your muscle, are the primary facilitators or joint movement.

Potential Causes of Elbow Pain

There are quite a few reasons for pain to be occurring in your elbow. Sudden injury, repetitive motion, infections, inflammation, and diseases are all common causes of pain to the elbow.

Elbow Injuries

Injuries can include fractures to the joint, sprains, strains, dislocation, and torn ligaments. Another potential injury related condition, called osteochondritis dissecans, occurs when a small piece of cartilage and bone is separated causing the potential for the elbow to lock in place. Elbow injuries usually occur following a sudden trauma, like hyperextension or impacts, as opposed to repetitive motion injuries and syndromes.

Infections In The Elbow

An infection can occur spontaneously but also may be seen after a surgery or infection elsewhere in the body. Of course an untreated cut or break in the skin near the elbow can also lead to an infection. An infection can cause other issues, namely inflammation, to manifest

Repetitive Motion

Golfers elbow and tennis elbow are two common repetitive motion syndromes that occur in the elbows of adults. Pitchers elbow is another repetitive motion injury that usually only affects growing kids that take part in sports that require throwing, like baseball.

Why Does Your Shoulder Hurt?

Before you start looking at specific reasons for your shoulder pain it is important to first understand why your shoulder is susceptible to injury and disease. Your shoulder is an amazing joint that allows you an incredibly wide range of motion.   This range of motion is extremely beneficial but it comes at a price; decreased stability. Since the shoulder is so unstable, often the bones, muscle, and tissue of the shoulder are damaged while they try to support your arm during all of the movement it endures.

How A Shoulder Works

Your shoulder is a complex ball and socket joint made up of many bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The three bones that comprise the shoulder joint are the humorous, scapula and clavicle. The ball portion of the joint is situated on top of the humorous bone and then sits inside the socket of the scapula.  Supporting the joint are ligaments, which connect the separate bones to each other. Motion is caused by the tendons, which tie together the bones and muscles.  There are a group of tendons that hold the ball into the socket called the rotator cuff. The bursae are the sacks that provide cushioning to the joint and allow for the motion to be fluid and easy.

What Does Hand Surgery Fix?

Hand surgery is a hybrid of many of many types of techniques usually performed by a wide range of specialists like orthopaedic, plastic, vascular, and neurosurgeons.  It is used to treat a number of problems from repairing nerves to replacing tendons. Hand surgery specialists can treat both chronic (long term) hand pain and acute (recent onset) hand pain. The most commonly treated conditions and injuries treated by hand surgery physicians are:

• Injury – sudden break, tears, and dislocations
• Carpal tunnel syndrome - damage to the never that passes through the carpal tunnel
• Metacarpal bossing – a mass in one of the joints of the hand
• Rheumatoid arthritis – a rheumatic disease causing inflammation (link to RA article)
• Dupuytren’s Disease – one of the fingers is bent inwards and cannot be straightened
• Congenital defect – a condition that is present from birth

You Don't Need To Struggle With Pain

Many people think that their pain is not bad enough to seek out expert assistance.  Nothing could be farther from the truth. Consistent pain needs to evaluated by a physician as soon as possible. Untreated pain will sometimes become very hard to control, meaning more intensive treatments will be necessary. Another reason to get your pain treated is to identify any undiagnosed diseases that may be manifesting the pain.

Treating Yourself, A Good Idea?

Self-treatment of your pain may not be the best idea. It is very common for individuals looking for a way to ease their suffering to misuse over the counter painkillers. Usually a patient will take too many painkillers, or they will take them for an extended period of time. Some will actually do both. Self-treatment is also usually less than effective leading to many possible side effects including lack of sleep, alcohol abuse, or even depression. It is important to seek a professional to diagnose and design a treatment plan to suit your special circumstances.

The Many Types Of Pain Management Techniques

When you visit a pain management physician at the Illinois Bone and Joint Institute they will of course evaluate and diagnose the cause of your pain. Then your doctor will create a treatment plan to help reduce and alleviate your suffering. The treatments could include medication, therapy, or even non-traditional treatments.