Jump For Joy!

YOUR WORST FOOT WOES ARE NO MATCH FOR SELF'S SOLUTIONS.

Over the course of your life, you'll walk a distance equal to 4.5 laps around the globe—about 115,000 miles. That's no small feat (pun intended), and it's why women's feet occasionally suffer a few aches. Get savvy about four common foot problems (and fixes) and head off pain before it starts. If at-home remedies don't help, visit a podiatrist (find one at www.apma.org). Your tired tootsies will thank you.

HAMMERTOES. Toes bent into a clawlike position are vulnerable to agonizing corns and can be uncomfortable on their own. Shoes that scrunch are a main culprit, but your genes as well as certain injuries can predispose you. If you catch the trouble early, you have several options to relieve pain, including padding, injections and orthotics (custom shoe inserts). Surgical straightening is a last resort.

BUNIONS. Although women inherit the tendency to develop an unsightly bulge of the joint at the base of the big toe, shoes can aggravate the problem. If laying off the stilettos or trying orthotics doesn't cure pain ("Think of wearing heels as a special treat," says Kimberly Eickmeier, D.P.M., a foot and ankle surgeon in Champaign, Illinois), you can opt to have the bunion surgically removed. The procedure has come a long way, so you're back on your feet in days instead of weeks. In fact, 89 percent of patients who've had the surgery would recommend it to others.

NEUROMAS. These cysts form around a nerve in the foot, usually between the bones right behind your toes. You may be naturally prone to them, or a neuroma might develop after some kind of trauma (like that time you dropped a 10-pound weight on your foot). They can cause a burning or shooting pain, numbness or even the feeling that you have a pebble in your sock. Half of cases can be alleviated by slipping on flats, wearing shoes with a wider toe box or using a metatarsal pad—a tear-shaped shoe insert that goes under the ball of the foot. Podiatrists can treat the tougher cases with steroid injections or minor surgery.

HEEL AND ARCH PAIN (plantar fasciitis). If you wake up unable to put weight on your foot, plantar fasciitis is likely to blame. The plantar fascia, the band of tissue that connects the bottom of the heel to the ball of the foot, is particularly vulnerable to repetitive stress injuries, especially those related to running. Anyone who has to stand for hours at work, has recently gained weight or is pregnant is also vulnerable. If you have heel or arch pain, spend a few minutes each morning flexing your feet in bed, and choose shoes with good arch support; you can also try wearing the plastic arches available in drugstores. Still uncomfortable after two or three weeks? See a podiatrist, who will likely rule out a stress fracture and suggest some combination of physical therapy, anti-inflammatories and custom orthotics. Not to worry—you'll be strutting your stuff in no time.