Foot pain

[emr]

I am curious to see if anyone else has had this problem. Once in a while I will wake up in the middle of the night or in the morning with very painful feet. The pain is only on the bottom of my feet and it doesnt last very long. I would say that the pain only lasts for 5 minutes or less, but during that time, the pain is very intense. I cant seem to find any pattern like every time I wear spikes. It does only seem to happen after a fairly hard day at work, but not necessarily after every hard day at work. Has anyone else had this problem?


P.S. I will be going to the doc for this once I have some free time. If anyone actually nails the diagnosis, I will buy them a beer (or soda) next time they are in town.

 

[treesmith]

Could you be a little more specific....is the pain in the muscles of the foot, more "bone" related, or do you mean the bottoms of your feet. My arches ache sometimes if I stand for hours in the hooks. And I have plantar fasciitis (at least that's what I blame it on) in my left heel. Or maybe it's a heel spur.

 

[SkwerI]

I have muscle spasms for almost 24 hours following a very strenuous day at work. The common ones are the muscles in my foot arch, calves and in my hands, as well as my back and neck.

 

[emr]

I guess my pain is more on the balls of my feet. It is not on the heals. I guess it must be muscle or soft tissue pain because I don't think it feels like anything to do with the bone.

I know the feeling about muscle spasms because I get those real bad as well and I always have. My foot pain is nothing like that. It is just a very very painful achy pain that give me major problems when I am trying to get to the bathroom in a hurry.

 

[pantheraba]

Classic symptoms of plantar fascitis...google it...lots of info. The pain will often pass once the victim hobbles around a bit and the plantar fascia loosens up some.

Ideally some proper stretching can help with any scar tissue that has formed...there is a chance you might need orthotic inserts. Worst case they do surgery to alleviate it but very often good treatment by a GOOD podiatrist can help a lot. You need to see a podiatrist, not a GP.

 

[pantheraba]

OR...I had a foot problem in the early 90's...ball of the left foot, between 2nd and 3rd metatarsal. That took a long time to get worked out...I think it was probably bursitis (inflammation of the bursa). Getting the proper orthotics finally let it resolve. But mine hurt all the time...since yours seems to finally ease up to a "no pain" situation I vote for plantar fascitis. Continuous inflammation can be a problem long-term.

I just found this on google..it relates that inflammation may not be the real problem (new to me):

********************
Plantar Fasciitis is a painful condition caused by overuse of the plantar fascia or arch tendon of the foot. The Plantar Fascia is a broad, thick band of tissue that runs from under the heel to the front of the foot.

Plantar fasciitis can also be known as a heel spur although they are not strictly the same. A heel spur is a bony growth that occurs at the attachment of the plantar fascia to the heel bone (calcaneus). A heel spur can be present (through repetitive pulling of the plantar fascia) on a foot with no symptoms at all and a painful heel does not always have a heel spur present.

Plantar fasciitis is traditionally thought to be an inflammatory condition. This is now believed to be incorrect due to the absence of inflammatory cells within the fascia. The cause of pain and dysfunction is now thought to be degeneration of the collagen fibres close to the attachment to the calcaneus (heel bone).

********************

LOTS of good info on this page: http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/foot/plantarfaciitis.htm

Let us know what you find out.

 

[treesmith]

I have muscle spasms for almost 24 hours following a very strenuous day at work. The common ones are the muscles in my foot arch, calves and in my hands, as well as my back and neck.

Brian, if I said something like that, Carl would tell me I must be getting old....

I used to cramp really bad after a hard day's work, but since I started eating 3/4 eggs for breakfast, taking a potassium supplement, and including Gatorade in my work repertoire, the cramps are much easier to deal with. In fact, I seldom get them any more, unless I really sweat down or work an especially long day.

 

[Mrs.B]

Do you have a thyroid condition? In 89 I was diagnosed with Graves Disease. One of the many awful symptoms was when I got out of bed both my feet hurt really bad for 5 or 10 minutes, to the point where I couldn't really walk, I hobbled. It's a common symptom of thyroid disorders. If there is really no physical reason for both of your feet to hurt at once it's a good idea to get it checked out. Not to scare you.....just relating my experience. Then again, if it's thyroid related you would be having other symptoms as well.

 

[Thor's Hammer]

Like Gary says, sounds just like Plantar faciitis. I suffer from it, as does Paul PCTree.

 

[emr]

Do you have a thyroid condition? In 89 I was diagnosed with Graves Disease. One of the many awful symptoms was when I got out of bed both my feet hurt really bad for 5 or 10 minutes, to the point where I couldn't really walk, I hobbled. It's a common symptom of thyroid disorders. If there is really no physical reason for both of your feet to hurt at once it's a good idea to get it checked out. Not to scare you.....just relating my experience. Then again, if it's thyroid related you would be having other symptoms as well.

No thyroid condition that I know of, but who knows. For the past few years I have been feeling like I have been falling apart. Lately my elbows and shoulders have been bothering me. I just figured that was due to the line of work that I am in. More recently my arms have been going numb below my elbows while sleeping. Again, I attributed this to the kind of work I do. Any of those common with thyroid problems?

This is kind of fun...... the real problems will probably have nothing to do with anything. I guess it just sucks getting old.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Why don't you go and see a podiatrist? I've never been, but they can probably know the problem. Maybe they are like an optometrist, they can pretty much sort out about anything that is a problem with eyes. Compared to other other fields of medicine, which can often not find out what is the trouble.

 

[SkwerI]

Eric, I've had aches and pains for years also. I recently began taking Glucosamine Sulphate and it made a huge difference almost immediately. My joints don't hurt any more. I don't hobble like an old man when I get out of bed in the morning and I'm no longer engulfed with pain an hour after getting home at the end of the day. I've never been a pill popper and I'm definitely not into taking all sorts of pills and supplements but I did some research on this and it's been proven to work. Google it and take a look for yourself.

 

[emr]

I could go see a podiatrist but it's not that easy for me. You see, it takes everything I have to keep my boys healthy and my business healthy as well. I am lucky that I find time to go to the dentist twice a year let alone go to doctors everytime I don't feel 100%. I know that's not a good way of looking at things but that's life, my life anyway. I will try to get to a doctor, probably should see a podiatrist, but it will be a bit.

 

[emr]

Eric, I've had aches and pains for years also. I recently began taking Glucosamine Sulphate and it made a huge difference almost immediately. My joints don't hurt any more. I don't hobble like an old man when I get out of bed in the morning and I'm no longer engulfed with pain an hour after getting home at the end of the day. I've never been a pill popper and I'm definitely not into taking all sorts of pills and supplements but I did some research on this and it's been proven to work. Google it and take a look for yourself.

I used to take that stuff back in the day but it never seemed to work for me but those were different kinds of pain. Maybe I will try again. If it doesn't work for me I will give the left overs to my dog. She is an 8 year old golden retriever and supposedly Glucosamine works wonders for dogs. Our vet even suggested it to us.

 

[pantheraba]

Just remember..same thing Brian and I said in another thread...get the sulfate version of glucosamine...glucosamine sulfate...not glucosamine chondroitin.

The sulfate assimilates better..harder to find but more effective. Also work on calf (Achille's tendon) stretches and foot stretches.

I googled "plantar fascitis exercises" under "video" and this is one of the good ones that came up:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qO9n3ml-OTw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[emr]

I woke up this morning with the pain again. I paid extra attention to where the pain was and it was all the way back to my heal. In fact, it might have been the worst back at the heal. I have been researching Plantar Fasciitis this morning and I am going to try some of the home treatments.

 

[Al Smith]

Let's face it working off hooks or rung ladders is hard on the body . People aren't design to perch like a bird on a roost .

Pain near the heal of the foot might be "heel spurs" which is basically the tendons which go through the arch becoming calcified near the heel . I had or have same myself .The fix is arch supports in the shoes ,they help .

Over 30 years ago they cost over 300 bucks but let me tell you if the feet aren't right it throws the whole body off .

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Icing the sole of your foot might help, as recommended by my massage therapist. I don't do it, but I don't have foot pain. A nalgene type bottle, frozen, can be rolled under a socked foot for massage and icing at the same time.

A different massage therapist asked if I stood on ladders a lot at work (branches are a lot like rungs, too, and I suppose spurs are the same). She mentioned calf muscle tension, and recommended stretches.

PT is amazing.

An ounce of prevention, as follow up after the pound of cure.

 

[SkwerI]

If you buy cases of bottled water for convenience then you can freeze one and it works great for this as well. Less than 18 cents per bottle.

 

[emr]

So my pain has been getting worse and worse. As of today, I can only work until about noon and then the pain becomes so bad that I need to take breaks. By the time I get home, I can hardly walk anymore. I went to the foot doc last Friday and she told me that I have two collapsed arches. Basically its what people called flat foot. I have the bad kind that causes more and more pain as time goes on. I need to get some foot/ankle things made for me that I get to wear for the rest of my life. The doc said that nothing else would have worked for me because of how sever it is. I guess once I get the supports made up, it will still take several months for the pain to go away. I guess its going to be a long summer. Also, I guess I should have gone in sooner.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Get the foot/ankle things.

 

[emr]

I am going in on Thursday. I called today and asked for the first possible appointment. You have no idea how painful this got and how fast it happened.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I know a lot about foot pain. Gerry B, too.

 

[emr]

Yeah, I guess your right. You guys had accidents right? I guess mine was chronic ending with a straw that broke the camels back.... so to speak.

 

[SkwerI]

Sounds similar to what I've dealt with for a few years now. I end up buying new boots every 6-9 months because my feet begin hurting so bad. Looks like I may have to look into this 'foot doctor' thing.