You can ease most foot pain with simple things yourself. If it doesn’t go away, see a GP.
How to ease foot pain and swelling
Try these things for a week:
- put as little weight as possible on the foot – if you can, avoid standing on it
- put an ice pack (or a bag of frozen peas in a towel) on the foot for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours
- wear comfortable shoes – for example, avoid shoes with heels
- take paracetamol
If the skin on your foot looks flaky or blistered, see your pharmacist. They can recommend a cream.
See a GP if:
- the pain doesn’t go away
- the pain is very bad
- your symptoms suddenly get much worse
- you keep getting the same pain
- you have a very high temperature or you feel hot and shivery
- your groin feels tender and painful (swollen glands) – this can be a sign of infection
Common causes of foot pain
You might have other symptoms apart from pain and swelling. How you treat them depends on the cause.
| Main symptoms | Possible cause |
|---|---|
| Can’t use foot properly, numbness, tingling, feels hot | heel pain |
| Swelling, bruising, feels tender, difficult to move | sprains and strains |
| Swollen, red, bruised, difficult to move | broken toe |
| Swelling, stiffness, foot is weak, grating or crackling feeling, a lump | tendon injury |
| Burning feeling, tingling, feels numb | metatarsalgia |
Your foot or toe might look different: