If you are are over 40, you have probably worn dozens of shoes and probably walked a lot of miles. It is not surprising that decades of walking can leave their mark on your feet. Aging brings many changes to your feet, which can leave them more likely to hurt. Pain in your feet is not normal, so it is not part of being old.

Foot health over years

The shape of your feet may change. The arch under the foot begins to collapse as ligaments become more lax. This can lead to pain in the arch and heel of your feet. You can try buying longer shoes to accommodate your changing feet. This will usually help.

The natural fat padding in your feed that helps cushion your weigth tends to dwindle with age. If this happens it can leave the bones in the balls of your feet with less protection, causing foot pain.

Changing skin. The blood circulation to your feet decreases as you get older. This can also lead to the loss of fat padding. Your skin will also become thinner and drier which can lead to cracks in your feet.

Do not accept age related foot pain.

Corns and calluses are areas where the top layer of skin has thickened in response to pressure exerted by bone in a tight fitting shoe. The thickened, hardened area irritates underlying skin and results in localized soreness often associated with walking. Corns are most common on the big toe and fifth toe. Calluses also are found underneath ends of foot bones. Soft corns may also develop between the toes.

Achilles tendonitis is an irritation and inflammation of the tendon that attaches calf muscles to the back of the heel bone.

A bunion is a painful enlargement at the joint at the base of the big toe, causing the skin over the joint to become swollen and tender. A bunion can also occur on the little toe from sitting cross-legged for long periods.

Hammertoes are a toe deformity where the toes have a permanent bend in the middle toe joint, looking like a claw. Hammertoes usually occur with the second toe, often when a bunion slants the big toe toward and under it. Tight shoes can make them more painful and cause a corn to form.

Heel pain is very common and often associated with a growth of bone on the underside, forepart of the heel bone. The condition occurs when a tendon pulls at its attachment to the heel bone. The condition can calcify to form a spur but the pain can be from a variety of causes.

Ingrown toenails are nails whose corners or sides dig painfully into the skin.

Morton’s neuroma is a benign (noncancerous) thickening of the membrane around the nerve between the third and fourth toes and sometimes between the second and third toe or between the fourth and fifth. Tight shoes can squeeze foot bones together, causing pain.

Plantar warts occur on the sole of the foot and may look like calluses. They tend to grow inward because of the weight placed on them when you stand.

Stress fractures are incomplete cracks in bone. They occur during high-impact repetitive activity, such as running when muscles tire and cannot absorb shock. The muscles transfer the overload of stress to the bone, causing it to hurt and eventually crack.

Fungal infections of the foot are common because the warm, moist environment is conducive to fungal growth. Some fungi thrive on toenails, causing nail discoloration, thickening and separation from the bed. Pressure from a thickened nail or the buildup of debris may cause the toe to become painful. Athlete’s foot is also a fungal infection that concentrates in the spaces between toes and on the sole of the foot.

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the fibrous tissue along the bottom of your foot that connects your heel bone to your toes.