it's been almost 4 weeks since i first noticed some pain on the arch side of the ball of my foot under my big toe. it's been almost 3 weeks since it starting being painful to walk on. i'm having to roll my foot way to the outside or walk on my heel. this is starting to mess up my knee & i hyper extended it a few days ago. the knee is fine now though. this started from me trying to learn to run on a treadmill. apparently i'm just not a good hamster & my running form is all over the damn place bc i'm concentrating too hard on not being flung across the room. it's just not for me i guess

after pushing on it trying to figure out what's wrong, i think it's the flexor hallucis longus tendon. it's "A" in this diagram

it's been a little swollen but feels like a balloon when i stand. that area is slightly bruised looking. i've been following dr. internet's directions of rest, ice, & anti-inflammatories, but it's still getting slightly worse.

do i need to go to the orthopedist? did i tear it or something? i'm getting worried that i won't be able to run again.

3/14/2011 8:55:52 AM

yes

3/14/2011 9:23:21 AM

^

3/14/2011 9:32:20 AM

your feet are never supposed to hurt

3/14/2011 10:19:21 AM

It sounds like it might be a stress fracture. I get them every now and then when I am on my feet for long periods of time. They are painful as hell, but there isn't really much a doctor will do for it other than advising you to stay off it. Which is damn near impossible. But you should still go to the doctor. At the very least he/she might give you something for the pain.

3/14/2011 10:45:49 AM

is it tender if you press on the bone right below your big toe? it could just be metatarsalgia, which is a fancy word for forefoot pain. usually comes from overuse combined with bad shoes. x-ray should rule out a stress fracture, hopefully that's not what it is. there's also turf toe, but that's more acute in nature and you'll know what caused it

3/14/2011 11:30:25 AM

this is where it hurts


i haven't repeatedly jammed my toes recently. it's very pinpoint pain & i can feel the tendon right underneath. it feels like the circulation is cut off to my big toe kinda, after i've been up walking around/standing for a while.

uhhh i know your feet aren't supposed to hurt. that's not what this thread is about. i guess to be more specific, if this indeed is my injury, or if it's a stress fracture, what can the doc do differently that i can't? i probably wouldn't take any serious pain drugs, like narcotics or something, because i'd be completely non-functioning then. i'm worried about wasting time & money vs actual treatment.

3/14/2011 11:54:59 AM

Depending on the injury, the doc might put you in a boot or give you crutches. But unless it is actually a broken bone, there isn't a whole lot you can do other that stay off of it.

3/14/2011 12:01:21 PM

Quote :

"it feels like the circulation is cut off to my big toe kinda, after i've been up walking around/standing for a while. "

If you feel numbness/tingling there is probably a pinched nerve. Not too uncommon if you have swelling and would probably go away once the swelling goes down.

I'd stretch it several times daily. Many of us have had plantar fasciitis (see thread in Old School) and stretching seems to be the trick for that.

Make sure you have good shoes. I'm not talking about shoes that were good 6 months and 300 miles ago either.

Rest & ice, but you already know that.

3/14/2011 12:04:39 PM

for something non-fracture related, the doc might advise physical therapy. they can do ultrasound/iontophoresis which works pretty well for a lot of people.

and actually, it may be plantar fasciitis. it's not very common that far up the foot, but i've seen it diagnosed before. it can present with point tenderness like you're describing. best to just see an ortho to find out for sure

try flexing your toe and pulling against it while resisting. if that's not painful i doubt it's a tendon rupture.

[Edited on March 14, 2011 at 12:41 PM. Reason : .]

3/14/2011 12:20:29 PM

go see a doc.

3/14/2011 1:47:39 PM

u should always see a doc if something is wrong and you aint too familiar with it.

3/14/2011 1:48:46 PM

I've found general practitioners to be fairly worthless in dealing with injuries over the past few years. Maybe see an ortho specialist, but I wouldn't waste my time with most doctors.

3/14/2011 4:15:55 PM

more large ortho practices will have a foot specialist, so i'd get an appt with one of those if you can.

3/14/2011 4:25:16 PM

im not sure how the shit works but dont you have to see these motherfuckers just so you can get a referral to a specialist

3/14/2011 4:36:31 PM

Quote :

"and actually, it may be plantar fasciitis. it's not very common that far up the foot, but i've seen it diagnosed before. it can present with point tenderness like you're describing. best to just see an ortho to find out for sure"

from what i've read about that, i don't think this is it. it's not worse in the morning. actually it's better since i've been off it all night. it hurts the most at the end of the day. it doesn't hurt near my heel at all, nor my arch.

i tried shoes w/ better arch support for a couple of days & that made it hurt a lot more.

Quote :

"try flexing your toe and pulling against it while resisting. if that's not painful i doubt it's a tendon rupture."

yes this hurts. it hurts reallyyyyy bad if i pull my toe up.

Quote :

"I've found general practitioners to be fairly worthless in dealing with injuries over the past few years. Maybe see an ortho specialist, but I wouldn't waste my time with most doctors."

i said initially i was planning on seeing an orthopedist. are you suggesting, like stingrayrush said, i search out a foot specific doc instead of a general orthopedist? i have an orthopedist i've seen before here, i'm not sure if they have a foot specific doc here. i'm in rocky mount

^i know i can just call & make an appt w/ the ortho. i don't need to go through a GP or internist first.

metatarsalgia is still a contender i think

3/14/2011 4:38:03 PM

that's not to say a general ortho couldn't diagnose it properly, but if there's a foot specialist you've got a much greater likelihood of success. at my old job we had a few general orthos, but most specialized in knee replacements, shoulder scopes, etc.

they might also try a metatarsal pad, something like this



they also make them that attach directly to the insole of your shoe, although if you wear more than one pair regularly you'll obviously need a few of them. it helps cushion and take pressure off the metatarsal head when you bear weight

3/14/2011 6:18:16 PM

Quote :

"i said initially i was planning on seeing an orthopedist. are you suggesting, like stingrayrush said, i search out a foot specific doc instead of a general orthopedist? i have an orthopedist i've seen before here, i'm not sure if they have a foot specific doc here. i'm in rocky mount"

I was just recommending that you find a specialist rather than going to a general practitioner doctor...Far too often when people hear "go see a doctor" they go to a general practitioner who charges $125 for some P.A. to give you a prescription for Ibuprofen and tell you to rest and ice it.

My parents live in Rocky Mount...My mom retired from Nash General last year and my dad has had problems with foot pain in the past. I'll ask them if they have a recommendation.

[Edited on March 14, 2011 at 7:30 PM. Reason : s]

3/14/2011 7:17:45 PM

yeah, i was never considering going to a GP.

my mom's a nurse at nash day hospital & can check, but let me know what you come up with too. i checked carolina regional ortho's website & they don't list a foot specialist, but i'll get her to check RM ortho.

[Edited on March 14, 2011 at 7:32 PM. Reason : ]

3/14/2011 7:31:00 PM

What about the Student Health docs?
What about Student Health physical therapy?

3/18/2011 1:38:34 PM

^ i hope you are joking, Student Health is awful

3/18/2011 2:11:00 PM

broke my big toe again 3 weeks ago. Raleigh orthopedics on Glenwood has a foot guy. Went to studnet health and they thought it was a break, xrayed, and sent me there for 2nd opinion to confirm, which they did. Nothing they could do, waste of money. Foot healed now.

3/18/2011 2:26:23 PM

Broken fingers or toes are always a waste of money to see a doctor over. Tape that shit and move on. If it's real bad, cut it off and sear it on a flat top.

3/18/2011 2:31:47 PM

Student Health can't do much, so most things past a cold they have to refer you to a specialist out in Raleigh. I've done that three times, once for a broken finger/tendon thing, another for a dislocated/sprained shoulder (didn't get referred out, shoulder healed itself eventually while I worked it out), last for a torn ACL.

The physical therapy department is really good though. I went there for knee rehab and they know their shit...or at least Robbe (sp?) does.

Course, even with colds, student health fails a lot. I had like, classic signs for swine flu, and the night nurse was convinced I had mono.

They seem pretty good about determining whether an injury is serious enough to refer you out or not though.

[Edited on March 18, 2011 at 2:47 PM. Reason : lkj]

3/18/2011 2:45:56 PM

Quote :

"What about the Student Health docs? What about Student Health physical therapy?"

I graduated in 2005. Are there still students on tww?

3/18/2011 2:59:01 PM