Foot pain. Was here, left, and came back. What is it?
November 15, 2022 10:21 AM Subscribe
I'm experiencing a pain near the ball of my foot. It was here for two weeks, then went away suddenly, and now it's back. None of the diagnoses seem to fit. If you had similar pain, how did you address it?
Look at this chart: https://www.foot-pain-explored.com/images/bottom-of-foot-pain-diagnosis-diagram.jpg
See the small triangle where the B and D intersect? This is about where the ball of my foot ends toward the heel of the foot. If I press there with my thumb I have pain. The pain is localized and does not radiate. I would describe it as sharp and maybe a little burning.
I had been doing some barefoot running on grass in the park, slow pace for about 15 minutes at a time, which I had done a few times a week for months without issue. This followed an entire summer of exclusively wearing a barefoot/minimal style sandal. My feet aren't new to being outside of a padded shoe.
I thought the running might have been the cause, though there was no immediate event like stepping on a rock.
My treatment was rest for a week and then rest and ibuprofen daily for a week, which didn't immediately help. About two and a half weeks into this conservative treatment, though, I noticed the pain was gone when I woke in the morning. I waited two days before picking up any additional activity.
After a light 20 minute jog (in normal running shoes with arch support) on pavement two days ago and some calf raises yesterday as part of a bodyweight legs workout, the same pain returned this morning.
It does not seem to fit metatarsilagia (my pain is too low (toward the heel) it seems). The pain doesn't radiate, so it's probably not nerve damage. There's no swelling or pain on the top of the foot, but would a small stress fracture cause that? I know plantar fasciitis is a common problem with barefoot running, but does it occur so far forward from the heel (the diagram linked above suggests it could, but the resources I've found suggest it's more of a heel pain)?
Have you had pain there before? What helped?
Look at this chart: https://www.foot-pain-explored.com/images/bottom-of-foot-pain-diagnosis-diagram.jpg
See the small triangle where the B and D intersect? This is about where the ball of my foot ends toward the heel of the foot. If I press there with my thumb I have pain. The pain is localized and does not radiate. I would describe it as sharp and maybe a little burning.
I had been doing some barefoot running on grass in the park, slow pace for about 15 minutes at a time, which I had done a few times a week for months without issue. This followed an entire summer of exclusively wearing a barefoot/minimal style sandal. My feet aren't new to being outside of a padded shoe.
I thought the running might have been the cause, though there was no immediate event like stepping on a rock.
My treatment was rest for a week and then rest and ibuprofen daily for a week, which didn't immediately help. About two and a half weeks into this conservative treatment, though, I noticed the pain was gone when I woke in the morning. I waited two days before picking up any additional activity.
After a light 20 minute jog (in normal running shoes with arch support) on pavement two days ago and some calf raises yesterday as part of a bodyweight legs workout, the same pain returned this morning.
It does not seem to fit metatarsilagia (my pain is too low (toward the heel) it seems). The pain doesn't radiate, so it's probably not nerve damage. There's no swelling or pain on the top of the foot, but would a small stress fracture cause that? I know plantar fasciitis is a common problem with barefoot running, but does it occur so far forward from the heel (the diagram linked above suggests it could, but the resources I've found suggest it's more of a heel pain)?
Have you had pain there before? What helped?
D is gout - which I have but mine did not start in the toe, but rather the ankle. It took me a few years of random pains to get my gout diagnosed and I am a little annoyed at that because high Uric Acid (the cause of gout) can be found with a simple blood test. Sharp and a little burning is exactly how I would describe my gout pains, too. Some people get redness or swelling but not everyone does. Being active and not overweight makes many people assume they can't possibly have gout. Gout is mostly hereditary. Secondly, I have a friend who walked around on a broken ankle for two weeks before getting a second opinion and finding the source of the pain.
All of that is to say please go to a doctor who will be able to check for both gout and fractures. They can also check your skin at a better angle to see if there is any sign of a sliver/glass/thistle type thing.
posted by soelo at 11:32 AM on November 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
All of that is to say please go to a doctor who will be able to check for both gout and fractures. They can also check your skin at a better angle to see if there is any sign of a sliver/glass/thistle type thing.
posted by soelo at 11:32 AM on November 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
Hey, I had pain like this after barefoot/minimal shoe running. It was diagnosed as metatarsalgia and got better with rest and some foot pads (support for my metatarsal arch, which runs sort of behind the ball of the foot, crossways). I wish I had done PT as well, though, because I think the same issues contributed to Achilles tendinitis that I developed several months later, which has been a real hassle and much harder to shake.
So if you're able, I'd recommend getting checked out by a medical professional.
posted by mskyle at 12:53 PM on November 15, 2022
So if you're able, I'd recommend getting checked out by a medical professional.
posted by mskyle at 12:53 PM on November 15, 2022
Ask your podiatrist about Morton’s Neuroma. It is caused by a pinched nerve in the area you described.
posted by serendipityrules at 1:41 PM on November 15, 2022
posted by serendipityrules at 1:41 PM on November 15, 2022
I had very localized pain in that exact tiny triangle where B and D intersect on the diagram, also after an entire summer of walking around on pavement in sandals with minimal padding. I saw a podiatrist who took x-rays and diagnosed it as sesamoiditis.
The podiatrist ended up not helping at all. I wore an expensive orthotic and took a year-long break from running without much improvement. She told me I’d never be able to walk around barefoot again, indoors or out. So I went to physical therapy and that got me back to walking around barefoot and running (although I’ve had to accept I need a little padding in my shoes).
posted by kiripin at 11:39 PM on November 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
The podiatrist ended up not helping at all. I wore an expensive orthotic and took a year-long break from running without much improvement. She told me I’d never be able to walk around barefoot again, indoors or out. So I went to physical therapy and that got me back to walking around barefoot and running (although I’ve had to accept I need a little padding in my shoes).
posted by kiripin at 11:39 PM on November 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
Try wearing super wide shoes. Drew carries shoes that go all the way up to 6x wide, and they actually look good! Changed my life, they did.
posted by panama joe at 6:31 AM on November 16, 2022
posted by panama joe at 6:31 AM on November 16, 2022
I agree that it sounds like sesamoiditis. I had a very bad bout with it many years ago that took a long time to get properly diagnosed. Because it was so severe when it did finally get diagnosed it took a couple cortisone shots to calm things down, but I was able to eventually have a complete recovery with stretching, physical therapy, and orthotics. Your case sounds mild enough that rest and NSAIDs may be enough to get you through it, but I would look up sesamoiditis information and take that to a podiatrist (general physicians aren’t familiar with the diagnosis or treatment in my experience) if it doesn’t clear up.
posted by MartialParts at 6:32 AM on November 16, 2022
posted by MartialParts at 6:32 AM on November 16, 2022
« Older Creating a "Talking Heads Reality Tour" of NYC | Can I stage a website on Wordpress before using my... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
Since you were running on the grass barefoot, I think there's a good chance you do have something in there that's maybe too small for you to see.
But in any case, here's my thinking: as a runner and a person who walks and wants to be healthy and able to do these things for a long time, foot pain isn't something to mess around with. Sometimes we can diagnose this stuff. But sometimes we can't, and then it's time to go to a good foot doctor, to figure out if it's muscular, joint, or ... a stupid tiny piece of glass jammed into our foot.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:06 AM on November 15, 2022