Foot pain reference
Sore feet? Start with where it hurts.
Most people arrive here knowing the location of their pain, not its name. Pick the area below to find the conditions most often associated with it, what tends to help, and how the relevant support products compare on published specifications.
Start with the location
Where does it hurt?
- 1Underside of the heelSharpest with the first steps in the morning — often plantar fasciitis
- 2Along the archAching or pulling that worsens over a long day on your feet
- 3Ball of the footBurning or a bruised feeling under the toe joints — often metatarsalgia
- 4Between the third and fourth toesFeels like a pebble or a folded sock underfoot — often Morton's neuroma
- 5Base of the big toeStiffness or a widening bump at the joint
- 6Back of the heelTender where the tendon meets the bone, stiff after rest
How this site works
EndSoreFeet does two things. It explains common causes of foot pain in plain language, sourced to public orthopedic and health bodies. And it compares support products — insoles, sleeves, splints, footwear features — on their published specifications: materials, arch height, sizing range, weight, warranty terms, and return windows.
We have not physically tested any product on this site, and we never claim to have. Specification comparison is something we can do accurately without touching a product. Telling you how something feels underfoot is not, so we do not pretend to.
That is a narrower promise than most sites in this category make. It is also one we can keep. Every figure in a comparison table is traceable to a manufacturer specification sheet or retailer listing, with the date it was retrieved. Anything we could not verify is marked UNVERIFIED rather than filled in with a plausible guess.
If you want the reasoning behind that choice, it is written out in full on the how we compare products page.
Conditions covered
Plantar fasciitis
Heel pain that is worst with the first steps after rest. The most common cause of heel pain in adults.
Morton's neuroma
Burning or numbness in the forefoot, often with the sensation of standing on a small stone.
Achilles tendinopathy
Pain and stiffness at the back of the heel or just above it, typically worse after inactivity.
Metatarsalgia
Aching or burning under the ball of the foot, aggravated by hard surfaces and thin soles.
How arch support actually works
What arch height, contour, and material density do and do not do — before you spend money on any of it.
All conditions
The full index, with the pain locations and patterns most often associated with each.
When to stop reading and call someone
See a clinician promptly if any of these apply
- You cannot bear weight on the foot, or the pain began with a specific injury
- There is visible deformity, or the foot looks obviously different from the other one
- You have redness, warmth, swelling, or fever, which can indicate infection
- You have diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, or poor circulation and notice any new foot problem, sore, or numbness
- Numbness or weakness is spreading, or you have new loss of sensation
- Pain has not improved at all after several weeks of sensible self-care
Nothing on this site is a diagnosis. Several foot conditions produce near-identical symptoms and are distinguished by physical examination or imaging, not by reading. The purpose of these pages is to help you have a better-informed conversation with a clinician, and to understand what you are buying if you decide to buy something.
Sources
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. OrthoInfo — patient education library. [URL NEEDS VERIFICATION]
- American Podiatric Medical Association. Foot health information. [URL NEEDS VERIFICATION]