Comments on: Tendin' the Tendon

Question: Tendin' the Tendon

outlandishmarxist — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:51:10 -0800

Frustrating physical ailment filter. Help me find temporary relief.

YANMD. I'm on my feet a lot. For work, for getting around, for everything. I've been in Berlin for a week, and the tendon that controls the upward movement of my large toe is starting to really hurt when I walk. It's also become one of those annoying physical things that I can't stop noticing, even when I'm not moving (like itchy-feet syndrome). So until I can get to a doc, can someone give me some advice for relieving some of the symptoms.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:54:48 -0800

Oh, man, I get that a lot....

Try some gentle stretches; curl your toe as hard as you can, and then flex it as hard as you can (for whatever definition of "as hard as you can" excludes extreme pain). Just a few times.

Then relax and stay off your feet as much as possible.

(I get all sorts of weird toe stuff now after a broken foot; gentle stretches followed by taking it easy for a little while helps, and making sure the arches in my feet get good support also helps.)

By: SweetTeaAndABiscuit

SweetTeaAndABiscuit — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 17:00:30 -0800

If you have no contraindications to taking ibuprofen, you can take that over the counter at 400 mg 3 x day, for both pain relief and its anti-inflammatory properties. Take it 3 x day whether you feel like you need it or not, to let the anti-inflammatory action kick in. Icing and/or heat might also help.

By: Specklet

Specklet — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 17:01:12 -0800

Hydrotherapy.

Get a bucket of very warm water and a bucket of ice water. Heat for a minute, ice for 30 seconds. Alternate ten times, ending with ice.

By: Michele in California

Michele in California — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 18:50:24 -0800

Eating gelatin may help. It can strengthen the tendon by "feeding" it.

Seconding: Anti-inflammatories, like ibuprofen, and also hot and and cold treatments.

Compression socks might help. I used similar support for an injured wrist while going to school and needing to type a lot. It helped get me through.

By: nat

nat — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:16:57 -0800

Check to make sure your footwear isn't aggravating the problem.

By: emjaybee

emjaybee — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:18:11 -0800

I have one pair of shoes that did this to me, though they were otherwise comfortable. I would try different footwear.

By: bedhead

bedhead — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:56:57 -0800

It's probably your shoes, but in the meantime: rest and put it up when you're sitting, and if you can get Voltarol (may be under other brand names in Germany - it's Voltarol in the UK and Belgium, but the underlying medicine is Diclofenac) you can rub a little dab of it over the affected area once a day (or whatever the pharmacist recommends). Worked a treat when I had tendon issues in my foot.

By: rmless

rmless — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 08:09:54 -0800

I have a different toe problem (an extra bone that rubs against a tendon sometimes) and my dr said that I should take 4-6 ibuprofen when it first happened and try to stay off it for the next day since swelling and irritation begets more swelling and irritation.
So far this has worked really well for me in the past 6 yrs, and has kept me from having to get surgery or cortisol shots.

Basically: get the swelling/irritation down asap if that is the problem.