Shooting pain in the foot can be felt any time and it includes the heel, toes, arch, instep, sole, or ankles.
It can be caused by bunions, hammertoes, calluses and corns, plantar warts, fallen arches.
Poorly fitting shoes, aging and being overweight often cause pain in foot.
Morton’s neuroma is a type of foot pain that commonly occurs between the third and fourth toes and the pain increases over time.
This type of foot pain is more common in women than in men. To alleviate the sharp, shooting pain in the foot, these home remedies maybe useful for you:
Foot Pain Treatments
- Apply ice to reduce swelling and pain. It is more advisable to do this immediately.
- As much as possible, elevate the painful foot
- Lessen activities that worsen your foot pain until the problem improves
- Wear foot pads in areas of friction so that you can prevent rubbing and irritation
- Take pain reliever medicines such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. But consult your doctor if you are taking other medications for safety reasons.
On the other hand, if you do not respond to these self treatments within a week or two you should see a doctor and your doctor then will perform a physical examination on your feet. To help diagnose the cause of the problem, your doctor take your medical history as well including what makes the shooting pain in the foot feel better or worse and other relevant question needed to roll out diagnosis.
If you have not experienced this shooting and sharp pain on foot yet, it is better to employ the following preventive measures:
Prevent Foot Pain
- Wear shoes with adequate room around the ball of your foot
- Warm-up before doing exercise and remember to increase the amount of exercise slowly to avoid putting excessive strain on your feet.
- Loose weight if you are over-weight.
- Keep your feet dry to avoid friction and prevent corns and calluses.
- Avoid drinking liquor to prevent attacks of gout.
Shooting pain in the foot is typically easily treated and often avoidable. See your health care provider to learn more about your specific situation.