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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To go the drop in with a sore foot?

32 replies

MrsDiesel · 17/02/2015 18:52

I did a long (for me) walk to work on Monday, followed by a run/walk back hone again. My foot is really sore now. I took some pain killers and managed to walk there and back again today but it is incredibly painful.
The pain is on the outside edge, sort've underneath and there is a bit of swelling and a bruise on the top/side.

Is this something worth bothering the drop in with or would they send me away?

OP posts:
Quitelikely · 17/02/2015 18:56

Why don't you just give it another few days and take pain killers.

I can't see what else they would do unless you think it's broken.

Bean89 · 17/02/2015 18:58

Agree with PP, get some painkillers and see how it goes. What would you want from the walk in centre?

StillStayingClassySanDiego · 17/02/2015 18:59

I wouldn't visit them for that.

Take ibuprofen, rest it , ice it and elevate it.

dementedpixie · 17/02/2015 19:00

you could try an ibuprofen gel on your foot to see if that helps

KingJoffreyObviouslyWatchesHol · 17/02/2015 19:04

I would.

Your feet have to hold you upright until you die.

Look after them. Never ignore foot pain.

gamerchick · 17/02/2015 19:07

What do you expect them to do? They don't even give you a bandage for a sprain now.

strap it up and give it a few days.

dementedpixie · 17/02/2015 19:08

unless there is reason to believe it is broken then they will only advise rest and pain relief

TwoOddSocks · 17/02/2015 19:15

There wouldn't be much point, unless you need stronger pain killers. Just ice it and keep it raised as much as possible.

Original poster
MrsDiesel · 17/02/2015 19:25

I guess I just wanted to know what is wrong with it and to see if it is broken/sprained so just for information purposes?

I have some ibuprofen gel in the drawer, I will pop some on.

OP posts:
EdSheeran · 17/02/2015 21:09

Monday, as in yesterday or last week? If yesterday, you need to give it a bit of time IMO.

Original poster
MrsDiesel · 17/02/2015 22:05

Oh yea yesterday. I week is going slowed than I thought.

I have put some ibuprofen gel on and bandaged it up, hopefully the pain will ease off over night.

OP posts:
MrsTawdry · 17/02/2015 22:37

This happened to me OP and a year later it still hurts. Keep it up...ice it...take ibuprofen...orally. Keep your eye on it. If it still hurts go and speak to the GP or the pharmacist and get a strap for it.

Notrevealingmyidentity · 18/02/2015 00:37

I did with similar after about a week of a walking holiday.

They were nice but said I shouldn't really have gone as "it's not really an injury and this is an injury clinic" which to be honest in still a bit Confused as I did it walking (as far as I know) but because i said I hadn't fallen over or anything I guess it doesn't count ?

I actually was still in pain for a few weeks and had to strap it up myself at one point as I could feel a very odd grinding sensation although this wasn't actually painful. It did get better.
No idea what I'd managed to do though.

Notrevealingmyidentity · 18/02/2015 00:39

Actually your description is exactly how I would have described it - except I had a bruise on the upper part but nearer to but under the ankle bone. The fairness underneath in the outer edge too.

Notrevealingmyidentity · 18/02/2015 00:41

*pain was not fairness Hmm

DrMeep · 18/02/2015 00:49

I have broken my metatarsals twice (once in each foot) and my symptoms were just as you describe: lots of pain on the underside of the foot towards the side (it was the metatarsal below my fourth toe, in that case) and bruising visible on the top of my foot.

The first time I had this break it was quite dramatic (stepped awkwardly and felt sharp immediate pain) so I went to A&E, got it Xrayed and got an air cast (a removable boot thing with a curved base that allows you to walk without flexing the foot.) It let the break heal and left me reasonably mobile.

The second time, when I broke the metatarsal on my other foot, it turned out to be a stress fracture. It was incorrectly diagnosed, and the break not identified. The pain worsened over time, as I kept limping around on it. I had been experiencing neurological issues that were affecting my walking (probably causing the stress fracture in the first place) so my doctors assumed the foot pain was also related, as there wasn't visible bruising in this case.

Without an aircast (this break was on the other foot) the break took forever to heal. After 3 months of limping around in agony, I finally resorted to walking with a stick and was terribly worried as to why I was in so much pain. Eventually my doctor sent me for X-rays just to rule out physical damage. Turns out it was a stress fracture of my metatarsal which was, by that point, well on its way to being healed. If I had gone in sooner to have it Xrayed it would have healed much quicker in an aircast, and my life would have been a lot simpler.

Moral of my story: it sounds to me like it could be broken. Do you have a Minor Injuries unit at your hospital? I'd suggest having it looked at, because walking on a broken foot for months was hell.

Keep in mind I'm not a medical doctor though :)

Darkforcesatwork · 18/02/2015 01:05

It has hurt for one day, there is some swelling and a bruise but you have managed to do the same walk again today?! Please don't go to the NHS for this-they are over-run already!! Think of it this way-if you had to pay to be seen, would you go rushing in now or would you give it a few days?! A soft tissue injury tends to get worse over the following 2-3 days before it gets better so give it a week-if you are in agony then, maybe have it looked at. But 24 hrs and able to walk is wasting the medics time.

Original poster
MrsDiesel · 18/02/2015 07:27

I can't bear weight on it this morning at all, can hobble around on just the ball and big toe but no way I could walk to work this morning. I had to lie down and was very nearly sick when I tried to walk on it this morning.

I am going to pop into the minor injuries later, sorry to those that think I am wasting their time but if it is broken and I suspect a stress fracture, its better to get an aircast sooner than later.

OP posts:
londonrach · 18/02/2015 07:32

Op go to a&e if worried. Your feet are important!

londonrach · 18/02/2015 07:32

Just seen you are. Fingers crossed for you xx

littlesupersparks · 18/02/2015 07:38

I think you are completely right - if I wasn't sure and I could manage I would wait a bit, but if it goes on for ages or worsens I would deffo seek medical attention. Good luck x

fuckingpamela · 18/02/2015 07:57

I had a stress fracture on a metatarsal.....I also walked on it for 5 weeks until I finally got it diagnosed and a plaster put on for 3 weeks to aid the healing.
Your injury sounds like mine.
Good luck!

UptheChimney · 18/02/2015 07:58

I think you'd be wasting NHS resource with what is an overuse or overtraining injury. You say you did what was a long walk for you -- are you usually sedentary? It sounds simply as though you've used your body in ways it's unaccustomed to, and this is muscle soreness.

The other thing it might be is plantar fasciitis, which is very painful, but there's not much you can do, and it's certainly not worth a visit to an injury or emergency clinic!

You need to learn to work through your foot carefully when you walk, go barefoot as much as possible, and look online at some reputable physiotherapy videos for simple exercises to strengthen and stretch your ankles and feet. There are very simple exercises you can do once the immediate pain has worn off.

Also check your shoes: are they supportive enough, do they have a little bit of a heel, and arch support? One of the reasons I utterly detest the "fashion" for those awful Ugg bots is that they are so bad for people's feet. But so also are cheap plastic shoes, and those flat ballerina shoes.

I find that generally, people really don't know enough about self care of their own bodies: do you do something like yoga or Pilates, which will teach you about correct alignment and posture. Do you stand and walk and run tall and spine aligned, and with your core engaged? Do you think about the way your skeleton aligns? These things all have an impact on your gait, and on the health, strength and fitness of your feet.

IME, you'll hobble today, but if you walk "mindfully" and think about your alignment and the way you roll through your feet from heel to toe as you walk, the muscles will relax. When you're not active, try the RICE approach:
Rest
Ice
Compress
Elevate

I'd use the Ice and Elevate aspects: fill a 500ml water bottle not quite to the top, freeze it, then when you're sitting (with good alignment not slumping) use the frozen water bottle as a roller for your afflicted foot. It will hurt, but after about 10 mins you'll feel the benefit. For the office, I find a £2 wooden foot roller from the Body Shop helps enormously. Shoes off, of course!

addictedtosugar · 18/02/2015 08:07

Do you have to walk to work? Sounds like you need to rest it, and not walk on it too much for a while.
Hope Minor Injuries are helpful.

DrMeep · 18/02/2015 08:16

I think you're doing the right thing, OP. If it's not broken, rest and ice, but if it's broken you'll not do it any good by continuing to walk on it unsupported, and the only way to know is to get an X-ray.