Do you hobble around when you get up in the morning (or after sitting down for a while), and then after a few minutes start to feel a lot better?
This sort of pain frequently occurs under the heels, but can be in the back of the ankle, under the front of the foot, or the whole foot can be sore.
The fancy term for this problem is post static dyskinesia. What that means is that your sore feet make it difficult to walk properly.
There are two theories why your feet hurt in this way:
When you rest, some tissues in the foot contract slightly, so when you get up again, the pulling causes pain until things loosen off again
When using your feet they are being overused or injured in some way. Then when you rest, the injured areas become inflamed, which is the body’s way of trying to repair the injury. The swelling around the injured area is painful when you first walk on it, but this soon dissipates with activity.
What can be done about this?
See your podiatrist, who will determine a diagnosis of this pain and suggest treatment options.
Common ways to help with this pain quickly:
Stretching or exercises to help the tight tissues and get muscles working properly
Elevating your foot and applying an ice pack over the sore area in the evening or after lots of activity
The long term solution is to work with your podiatrist to fix the underlying cause of the pain so that you can get long term relief.