5 Causes Of Foot Pain From Running: Why Do My Feet Hurt When I Run?

Why do my ankles hurt when I run?

To be honest, this question is not simple to answer. There are a bunch of reasons why someone’s ankles hurt when they run, including:

Sprains
Strains
Stress fractures
Tendinitis
Incorrect running form
Foot pronation or supination
Plantar fasciitis
Muscle weakness
Muscle tension

There may be a common cause for the following list of items. If you’re experiencing more than one symptom from the list, it may be because the symptoms are more interconnected than you thought!

For example, if one muscle is weak, other muscles may work harder to make up for the weakness, leading to muscle tension. If you have muscle tension, it can cause your body to be misaligned and your running form to be incorrect, which can lead to tendinitis.

This could result in an ankle strain or sprain, or even a stress fracture.

5 Common Causes Of Foot Pain From Running

The most common causes of foot pain from running are due to overuse, shoes that don’t fit properly, and incorrect form. To prevent foot pain, it’s important to choose the right shoes, warm up and stretch before running, and maintain good form.

#1: Plantar Fasciitis

The most likely cause of foot pain from running is plantar fasciitis. Your plantar fascia is a web-like tissue that stretches across the bottom of your foot, from your heel to your toe.

The most common pain from plantar fasciitis is in the heel or in the arch of the foot. The pain can be a sharp stabbing pain and/or a dull, constant ache.

If the connective tissue on the bottom of your foot becomes too tight, it can become irritated, stretched, or even torn.

If you think you have plantar fasciitis, it’s important to take care of it promptly because it can become inflamed quickly and be difficult to get rid of.

Here’s how to treat plantar fasciitis:

Stretch and roll your calf. Stretch your calves 3 times for 20 seconds 3 times a day by dropping your heel off a step. Do not do this if this hurts! Also, foam roll your calf.
Stretch your plantar fascia. While sitting on the ground, loop a belt or band around the ball of your foot. Pull towards you and hold for 20 seconds. Repeat 3 times 3 times a day. Also, get a golf ball or lacrosse ball. Place it under your foot and roll it around the arch area. A massage gun to the area for about 2 minutes can also ease tension and increase circulation.
Ice and heat. Do an ice foot bath followed by a warm foot bath to increase circulation and help decrease inflammation. You can also roll your foot on a ball while in an Epsom salt bath.
Take a break from running. If running causes pain to your big toe during or after, then take a break and find a cross-training activity you like instead.
Consider injections. A cortisone shot may help bring the inflammation down. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections drawn from your own blood into the injured area can help healing, as can surgery.

#2: Stress Fractures

There are 26 bones in your foot, and running puts a lot of stress on them! You are likely to have a stress fracture in one of your bones if you experience acute, localized pain.

Typically, metatarsal bones are the middle bones of your foot that receive the most stress and pressure. This can result in tiny cracks or severe bruising. Bunions can form on the big toe, but they can also form on the heel, ankle, or top of the foot (navicular).

Here’s how to treat a stress fracture:

See a doctor. If you suspect you have a stress fracture, it is important to see a doctor and get imaging to diagnose the problem.
Practice RICE. RICE stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevate. These are steps you will likely take to help spur healing.
Focus on nutrition. Eating a well-balanced diet of healthy, whole foods including meat, dairy, and leafy greens will also help bone remodeling.
Wear a medical boot. During this time off, you will probably have to wear a boot and find a cross-training activity that does not aggravate your foot such as swimming or cycling. You will likely need to take about 4 to 8 weeks off running.

#3: Hallux Rigidus

Your big toe is important for running. The joint of your big toe is responsible for a lot of the propulsion in your stride. The metatarsophalangeal (MTP) connects the metatarsal bone in the forefoot to the phalanx, the bottom bone of the big toe.

As you run, the big toe joint bends in order to allow the foot to roll forward and “toe-off” off the ground. If your MTP joint is carrying a lot of weight while you are running, it is likely to become stiff. And that’s exactly what “hallux rigidus” means—stiff big toe. The condition hallux rigidus can also be known as turf toe or simply a stiff big toe. Stiffness in the joints can have different causes, such as osteoarthritis or inflammation from overuse. You can also sprain or stub this joint.

Here’s how to treat Hallux Rigidus:

Wear proper shoes. Wear shoes that provide support for your feet. Running shoes are probably your best choice. This will limit further stress on the MTP joint.
Stretch the toe joint. Pull your big toe towards you and hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat by pulling it down and then side to side. Repeat two to four times three times a day. This improves mobility (which will also help your running!)
Ice and heat. Do an ice foot bath followed by a warm foot bath to increase circulation to help decrease inflammation.
Take a break from running. If running causes pain to your big toe during or after, then take a break and find a cross-training activity you like instead.
Take anti-inflammatories. Regular use of anti-inflammatories and a cortisone shot may help calm the inflammation down. If you have a cortisone shot, you will definitely need to take a break from running as it can weaken the tissue.

#4: Metatarsalgia

The metatarsals are the bones that connect your toes to the rest of your foot Metatarsalgia is a condition characterized by inflamed tissues surrounding the metatarsals, or the five long bones in the foot. The metatarsals are the bones that connect the toes to the rest of the foot.

This is a common injury that causes sharp, burning, or aching pain under the toes or in the ball of your foot. The tingling or numbness in your toes may also be accompanied by a loss of balance and coordination. It will also hurt when you flex your foot.

If you have metatarsalgia, it is important to get treatment right away.

Here’s how to treat Metatarsalgia:

Practice RICE. Rest, ice, compression, and elevate. You can do a contrast bath of ice and heat to get the inflammation down and take anti-inflammatories to ease the pain.
Cross-train. You shouldn’t run with metatarsalgia and you likely won’t want to. Find another exercise that doesn’t aggravate your foot.
Wear supportive shoes. Consider wearing your running shoes, Oofos sandals, or even a boot to reduce the impact on the irritated area. Metatarsal pads and custom orthotics may ease the pain.
Call your doctor. If your foot is not better after ten days of at-home treatment, see a doctor.

#5: Fat pad syndrome

The bottom of your feet have a layer of fat that helps protect your heel and makes running less jarring. The fat pad can become irritated from too much use, running on hard surfaces, or wearing the wrong kind of shoes.

Here’s how to treat fat pad syndrome:

Contrast baths. Soak your hurting foot in ice water for 10 minutes and then switch to warm water. Do this throughout the day.
Wear cushioned shoes. Oofos or your running shoes may provide proper support as could the addition of a heel cup.
Tape your heel. Taping your heel with kinesiology tape will promote blood flow to help get rid of inflammation.
Massage. You can massage your own foot manually, with a massage gun, or book a massage and have them focus on your foot.
See a podiatrist. If your foot doesn’t feel better after 10 days of at-home treatment, see a doctor and get an official diagnosis.

Your hip flexors: powering each stride

We start by addressing the initial symptom when we are addressing pain. If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I focus on finding the root cause of the problem and creating habits that will prevent the pain in the future. When searching for the source of your ankle pain, it is often productive to look at other parts of the body that could be causing the issue.

Even though you’re worried about why your ankles hurt when you run, the pain might not be coming from your ankles at all. In fact, they’re probably not.

The pain is likely coming from your knees, hips, or legs.

An issue with your hip flexors can cause problems all the way down to your ankles. This is because there is a network of muscles that start in your hip flexors. The hip flexor is made up of two muscles, the iliacus and the psoas. It is important to understand how they work.

Hip flexion is when you raise your leg up and forward. This is often done when running or walking up stairs. Hip extension is when you move your leg backward. Your leg isn’t doing any work in this position, but the iliopsoas muscle is still being used indirectly.

The iliopsoas muscle is engaged every time you take a running stride. To have proper hip alignment and the best running form, the iliopsoas needs to have the proper amount of flexibility to allow for a full leg extension while running, but also be taut enough to pull your leg back into the correct position.

What happens when your hip flexors stay tight?

Think of your hip flexor muscles like a new rubber band or hair tie that quickly and easily moves back to its original shape. Just like a rubber band, if you stretch it too much or too often, it will become stressed and worn out.

When people are stressed, they may not release their hold on your bones and joints, which can create tight muscles and joint issues. But the same happens when they are fatigued. When our hip muscles are tired, they apply more force than necessary to our joints.

Both options result in tight hip flexor muscles.

And this is the beginning of the dominos. The first piece to fall. If your iliopsoas muscle is tight, the other muscles in your hip and pelvic area will not align properly. The muscles that are tightened will also shorten, which will pull on your thigh bone and knee joints in an unnatural way.

Pronation in runners

The internal rotation of your leg can also cause a twisted ankle or a flattened foot. As your ankle turns inward, your foot will become flatter. If your foot and ankle are in this position, you are more likely to injure your knees, hips, ankles, and feet.

If your bones are not aligned correctly, it will cause wear and tear on your ankle over time. The Achilles tendon can also become strained.

When the foot is twisted into a flattened position, it causes foot pronation, which brings your weight more towards the inside of your foot every time you step. If you’re experiencing pain in the bottom of your foot, it could be due to running feet, plantar fasciitis, or even bunions. These conditions can cause irritation and pain in the affected area.

Now you can see how the answer to the question: “why do my ankles hurt when I run” could actually be your tight hip flexors, even if your hips are showing no sign of tightness or pain. The symptoms may show up in other parts of your body, but they usually originate from your leg and core.

Consistency is key

You will not be able to go from your couch to running a marathon after just one training session. A lot of the same advice for relieving shoulder pain can be applied to ankle pain.

After you’ve determined the reason why your ankles hurt when you run, you can begin implementing a regular, daily recovery routine for runners.

When I say daily, I mean daily! It will take some time for your muscles to learn to relax if you are experiencing ankle pain caused by muscle tension.

You will only see results from using the Hip Hook and Hip Release Ball if you practice the steps provided daily.

The great news is that you can easily integrate these running recovery tips into your regular routine, and they only take 10 minutes. You won’t have to spend a lot of extra time working out to see results from these exercises, and they may even make running more enjoyable and pain-free over time.