6 Foot Conditions That Can Flare Up While Trick-or-Treating

If you’re ready to tackle Halloween with a preexisting foot condition, you might want this blog from us at My Chicago Foot Expert to serve as a reminder. Heel pain, Arthritis, and Diabetic foot issues might be lurking around the next street corner. Find out how these conditions could potentially ruin the fun if you don’t manage them correctly.

Heel Pain

If you already suffer from Achilles Tendonitis or Plantar Fasciitis, you are at high risk for a flare-up. Why? Trick-or-treating involves prolonged walking and standing on sidewalks and streets.

Between wearing random shoes that offer no arch support, chasing after kids, and the tricky uphill gradient of some streets, the stress on your heel and Achilles tendon is magnified. Don’t be surprised the next morning if your heel pain returns with an extra kick.

Sever’s Disease

Heel pain: kid’s edition. Sever’s Disease causes pain at the heel’s growth plate during your child’s development. If you already know this, remember that the constant high-impact force on the heel from walking long distances strains their inflamed growth plate.

This can trigger acute pain and make it difficult for your child to enjoy the night, so if they’re complaining about their feet hurting, this could be it.

Bunions and Hammertoes

If you have bunions or hammertoes, wearing shoes that are too tight, too stiff, or too narrow for even a few hours can cause severe pain.

This compressed space immediately increases friction and pressure on these bony bumps, which leads to inflammation, redness, and painful corns or blisters right over the deformity.

Gout

While not directly caused by the walking, the risk of a painful gout flare is increased by two factors common on Halloween: dehydration (walking around for hours, not drinking enough water) and potential dietary indulgence.

In other words: all that candy can cause a Gout attack! Consuming sugary treats, rich party foods, or alcohol can all change uric acid levels in your big toe for the worst.

Ingrown Toenails

Again, walking a lot can push the nail edge into the surrounding skin and immediately cause a flare-up of a dormant or minor ingrown toenail. The friction, combined with the continuous weight-bearing, can quickly lead to acute pain and increase the risk of infection.

Neuropathy

If you’re managing neuropathy, any foot issue that flares up is a major concern. For example: you might not feel a blister forming from your shoes, or a small cut from debris.

The golden rule here is vigilance: always wear supportive shoes and inspect your feet thoroughly the moment you return home.

 For any questions about foot health and wellness, reach out to the tenured staff at My Chicago Foot Expert by calling (773) 561-8100 or by clicking here to schedule an appointment with Cook County podiatrist Stavros O. Alexopoulos, DPM, in our modern, comfortable Ravenswood office today.