Comments on: What is wrong with my left foot?

Question: What is wrong with my left foot?

hammerthyme — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 21:29:58 -0800

Foot pain filter: TERRIBLE pain felt on top of left foot between the 4th and 5th toe, more inside.

I've ran 50 to 90 miles a week for the past 2 years with one 2 month break when I had hip issues. I ran a half marathon on March 17th and vowed to take off one month to recover because my heel has been hurting. Well, a week ago, the top of my foot has been hurting like no other!

Here are the details of the symptoms:
- If I put pressure on the left foot, such as from pushing off to ride my bike, it hurts for a few minutes.

- The 5th-3rd toes go numb later in the day. What the?

- It's swollen - my "lady friend" just told me and I just noticed it.

- My heel doesn't hurt anymore, if that helps.

Please help me identify this! NSAIDs don't help the pain and I don't have insurance for another month. I want to start running by the end of this month but I don't see this happening. My shoes don't feel narrow and I'm freaking out. Thank you!

By: cerebus19

cerebus19 — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 21:50:59 -0800

If there's swelling, ice may help.

By: hammerthyme

hammerthyme — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 21:52:35 -0800

I ice it every night and soak it in water/epsom salt every morning. It still hurts OUCH!

By: cerebus19

cerebus19 — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 21:54:30 -0800

IANAD, but I would hazard a guess that you've damaged a tendon on the top of your foot, and that's what's causing the pain and swelling. The swelling, in turn, is probably compressing a nerve, which is causing the numbness.

By: lubujackson

lubujackson — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 22:22:08 -0800

Possibly broken, sorry to say.

By: lilac girl

lilac girl — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 22:43:48 -0800

It's not bruised, is it? What's the pain like? In my experience, pain that goes in a straight line on your foot means it's broken. Have you tried bandaging it up for a while with an ace wrap?

By: Justinian

Justinian — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 00:31:59 -0800

There's no way in heck we can diagnose this over the internet. We just can't. I'm sorry... anyway who claims they can is either Dr. Gregory House or has a good chance of being wrong.

By: devilsbrigade

devilsbrigade — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 01:05:46 -0800

IANAD, but I second the tendon. I got an inflamed tendon on the bottom of my foot from running 60 miles a week on worn down shoes, & got the same symptoms except for numbness. I went to a podiatrist who told me to wear well-cushioned shoes, never to walk barefoot (even around the house), & no hard impact for 3 months. It cleared itself up so I could walk normally again in about 2, & I was running again in ~ 4. NSAIDs didn't do much for me, either.. the kicker was that touching ANYTHING in the arch of my foot hurt like none other.

FWIW, I'm fairly sure the tendon in question was the posterior tibial tendon.

By: Lyn Never

Lyn Never — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 06:38:20 -0800

It wouldn't hurt to get an x-ray. I have had tendon pain in that spot, but it was accompanied by the sense that my ring toe was about to bend backwards in an alarming fashion at any second. I've had broken bones in my feet and they felt more like you're describing.

See a doctor. You probably shouldn't be running and biking on it without proper support.

By: docpops

docpops — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 07:16:39 -0800

dollars to doughnuts it's a Morton's Neuroma. Stress fracture?
Sesamoiditis? A decent podiatrist can deal with all of these.

By: decathecting

decathecting — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:30:33 -0800

I once had pain like what you've just described, after a fall that seemed unserious at the time. I wore an ace bandage, iced, etc. for a few weeks, then went to the doctor. I apparently had five broken bones in my foot. Had to wear a cast for three months. The doctor said my recovery would have been significantly shorter if I had gotten treatment sooner.

If at all in any way possible, see a doctor. If that's completely impossible, I'd recommend getting a set of crutches and putting absolutely no weight on it until you can see a doctor.

By: Joe in Australia

Joe in Australia — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 02:55:45 -0800

I had really sore feet on odd occasions. I couldn't figure out what was causing it - bad shoes? Sleeping funny? Overexertion? On one checkup my GP suggested I might have gout. It hadn't been diagnosed earlier because I'm younger than most people who get it, I only had it intermittantly, and it was in a funny place (the metatarsal, as opposed to the joints of the big toe). Check out the symptoms and consider if they apply to you.