Pain in my foot - what to do?

[babablacksheep]

Ok, so I have a doctors appointment next Thursday - earliest routine one I could get.

I have a painful foot - it is hard to describe - it is in two places - across the top from below the toe joint to the ankle, and also the ankle up the first 3 inches of my leg.

It comes and goes, but gets worse with use - ie walking, etc!

Some mornings I cant put weight on it and hobble around for a few mins until it eases up. Some days it is ok.

I can walk and stand on it and even run on the treadmill, and I would say it aches more than any other form of pain. It is almost like a cramp.

Any ideas what it may be, or what I can do in the meantime??

i would elevate it and rest it, and maybe use some deep heat or and ice pack?

Is at all swollen?

prob keep moving it so it doesn't freeze up

but then again i know pretty much nothing, only what i have learnt from my 3 million injuries

Thanks!

It is a bit wierd as it has not come on as a result of an injury (at least not one I am aware of) - it doesnt seem to be obviously swollen - I reckon it is muscular! If you have them in your foot - perhaps ligaments!

i think you have muscles in your foot but who knows, i have to say i'm currently suffering shoulder pain but hey ho thats part and part of being me

I have had a similar problem in the past. I run (or jog!) and I get a similar sounding pain when I do not tie my laces up properly. No idea why. Could that be the problem? Or something else associated with your your footwear?

It doesnt seem to be related to when I run, as I onl do that once a week!! (lazy cow smiley)

I cant even work out from other web sites what it is - so how I expect a GP to sort it out, I do not know! My Mother reckons I need inserts in by shoes to align my foot properly!

Have you been wearing flip-flops??? i have 1 foot that i have been having pain with for a couple of months now. The pain is coming from the sides of my heel and going around the sides.

When i get up in the morning i am limping for a few minutes until the tendents stretch??..and then it is fine until later in the day. Once i have sat down for a while it seems to seize up and become sore again when i get up to walk.

Is it anything like that???

I need to go to the doctor to sort it out. I have a sneaky suspicion it is my flip flops causing it :/...but i don't want to be told not to wear flip flops again.

Hope you get it sorted soon.

No dont really do flip flops as they are too low and flat!

sounds like it might be a form of tendonitis. COuld be from ill-fitting or loose shoes (you end up curling your toes to keep the shoes on properly).
I get something similar in my R foot during long drives, if I have my foot at slightly the wrong angle on the accelerator, it's almost like a cramp on the top of the foot.
I do lots of ankle rotations and point and flex exercises with the foot if it happens.

If you have on of these near you, they can give good advice on foot pain. You don't have to buy the running shoes!

Could it be the "shin splints" they mention?

If it eases up after a bit in the mornings then it is likely to be some form of tendon issue. I get Plantar faciatus (sp?) which affects the underside of my foot. What happens overnight is the tendons swell up a bit and, as the spaces they go through in the foot are rather small, in the morning they are too swollen to move very far, hence the pain. As you move around, they warm up and the fluid goes down, the movement becomes less painful. I suspect you have something similar.

It is a pain and can last for months (not what you want to hear I know). Mine is the result of too many bicycle accidents in the past. My feet are now fragile and a bit unstable. I only have to chase DD a bit too fast to kick off another bout. Nowdays I have orthopaedic insoles which, apart from being evr so elegant, seem to stabalise my feet and stop the condition reoccuring.

The doctor will probably prescribe anti inflammatories, possibly some topical ibuprofen and just let you get on with it. What I have found helps is, apart from the aforementioned insoles, is properly laced shoes or boots to keep my feet stable, and yoga.

Possibly could be either achilles tendonitis or plantar fasciitis (inflammation of the tendon(s). I have the latter of the two and my symptoms sounds similar to yours - pain intermittent when walking / getting up in the morning!

Try taking some kind of anti inflammitory (Ibuprofen) 4 times a day or try rolling your foot on a can of beans, you could also try massage, which is nice - even nicer if someone does it for youYou could always try Physiotherapy, they use an ultra sound machine on the tendon.

Hope this helps a little in the meantime.

I think insoles may be the answer perhaps! My mum has leant me a pair of hers which we have trimmed to fit my shoes which are a size smaller. It seems better today, and I have been wearing my mules around the house rather than bare feet as they have some more support in them.

It is probably over-use as a child with gymnastics, then trampolining at Uni, and more recently running - I have always had weak ankles, so this is just another thing to add to the ever growing list if symptoms!