Symptoms

A classic sign of tendonitis of the sole of the foot is indeterminate pain in the area of the sole of the foot, which does not seem to have a clear place of origin. The other signs of inflammation (reddening of the skin, overheating and restriction of function) may also be present in parallel with the pain. Due to the inflammation, the rolling of the foot when walking is particularly painful, which is why the gait pattern of the affected person often appears altered – some patients limp because they intuitively relieve pressure, others walk “out of round”.

Since athletes are often affected by inflammation of the tendons of the sole of the foot, another typical criterion is the change in pain under training conditions. Many of those affected complain of a so-called “starting pain” at the beginning of their training, which can be distinguished from a significant improvement in pain after a long jog. In contrast, the pain is worst in the resting phase between two training sessions.

If a patient already complains of load pain, i.e. persistent pain that does not improve during training, he has probably continued training for far too long. This could be a severe inflammation that is already well advanced and urgently requires a break from training and adequate treatment! Every runner should therefore pay careful attention to the above mentioned symptoms and take his body seriously. Continued training despite inflammation or other injury can lead to permanent and irreparable damage.

Tendinitis on the inner sole of the foot

The inner side of the foot, especially the inner side of the heel, is a frequent complaint localization of the typical tendon inflammation of the sole of the foot (plantar fasciitis). Other possible explanations for inflammation-related pain of the inner sole of the foot can also be additional small bones, which do not occur in every person. These so-called sesamoid bones are incorporated into tendons and reinforce the pull of the tendon via a kind of leverage effect.

Depending on their exact position, they can rub against tendons or muscles and thus cause inflammation. Orthopedic surgeons can easily recognize such sesamoid bones in an X-ray image. Normally, it is sufficient to spare the affected area to achieve pain relief.

However, if those small bones cause severe pain, surgical removal may be considered. In this case, the treating physician will give detailed advice beforehand. Much less frequently, tendonitis occurs at the outer edge of the sole of the foot.A frequent trigger for this is a previous sprain of the ligaments, which then leads to an inflammation of the tendons of the calf muscles.

However, a so-called stress fracture is also possible as a trigger for pain in the outer sole of the foot, which is wrongly interpreted as an inflammation. Especially ambitious sportsmen and women can suffer from a fatigue fracture of the outer metatarsal bone under permanent overstrain, which also manifests itself through pain on the outside of the foot. Often, just touching the area at rest is unpleasant. Even more quickly than in the case of pain on the inside of the foot, a doctor should therefore be consulted if the outside of the foot is involved and an x-ray should be taken to be on the safe side.