foot pain

[margot]

Hi, I had a hip resurfacing April 2011.  Before surgery, for the proceeding 5 or so years, I could not straighten my leg at the hip.  In other words, if laying flat, my leg was not able to touch the floor at the back of the knee area.  The only reason I mention this is because that obviously then required an adapted gait since normally your leg should not only straighten, it should be able to extend backwards.  My surgery was successful and recovery uneventful.  As my gait has become basically normal now, I am still working on certain weak muscles that probably haven't been required to work for years with my adapted gait.  So, that's all good.  Here's the problem.  My foot (on operated side) has become very painful - that part of the foot just past the toes but not yet at the instep.  I wear very good arch supports in all my shoes and basically never walk without them because barefoot is very painful in that spot.  I am assuming that because my gait is now normal that I am once again putting pressure on a part of the foot that has not been required to work for many years.  OR my gait is not as completely normal as I think.  Has anyone else had this problem?

[jjmclain]

I didn't...but I would suggest having a Physical Therapist evaluate you for any weaknesses as well as see a Podiatrist to discuss your foot issues.

[hernanu]

Hi Margot, I had somewhat the same problem on my 'off' foot the second time around. I developed a very painful spot just behind the second toe, at the joint and slightly behind it. It happened about three months into my recuperation, and may have been tied to an exercise I did, but also may just have happened.

I tried walking it out, but it got worse over time, I'd say it lasted a good seven months. About three months into having that pain, I went to a podiatrist, and he told me that in a normal gait, the pressure is put either on the outside edge of the foot, or on the inside edge of the foot; for some reason I was putting pressure on the middle of the foot - apparently a no-no for good walking. The extra pressure seems to have irritated the metatarsal area and actually caused thickening of the bone in the joint, causing at least some of the pain.

The podiatrist took my whole story in and said that he was going to treat me with anti-inflammatories to calm the joint down, then for long term, he suggested good inserts and to make sure I wear better shoes, preferably sneakers for the next month or so.

I did as he requested, and got better, but the pain did not totally go away until I started using these great new hiking boots that I got for the winter. Those and the inserts seemed to make all of the difference, with the pain pretty much gone now. I think it forced my gait to be corrected, so I wear them all of the time and am on a mission to replace my footwear with the best possible for what I do.

I think in recuperating, we tend to forget that shoes are capable of skewing your walk and causing issues.

[Pat Walter]

Hi

I think we sometimes forget if we have bad hip problems, the rest of our body is probably not far behind.

I have the same problem, but did not suffer with my bad hip as long as 5 years.  My foot doctor said it is basically arthritis in my case.  It is in the ball of my foot on the same side as my hip.  It feels sore most of the time and feels like my sock is always rumpled under my foot.  Of course, it isn't, just feels that way.  I have to wear very good shoes and high end tennis shoes are the best for me.  I am already on Celebrex all the time, so that is not the answer.  I am almost 68, so it is par for my maturing body to have a lot of arthritis.

Using your body unbalanced for 5 years has taken a toll on all of your major joints in your legs and most likely in your back.  There is a name for this type of pain in the ball of your foot - metatarsalgia

Here is some info, you can look more up.

Pain in the ball of the foot (called metatarsalgia) may have many different causes (including arthritis, poor circulation, pinching of the nerves between the toes, posture problems, and various disorders). However, most often the pain is caused by nerve damage or by an abnormality of the joints nearest the balls of the feet (metatarsal joints). Often, developing one disorder that causes pain in the ball of the foot contributes to development of another disorder that causes pain in the same location.

You can take some NSAIDS, get some orthotics for your shoes and see a foot doctor if it gets too bad. 

I hope that helps and it gets better for you.

Pat

[margot]

Muchas gracias amigos - you have motivated me in making an appt with a podiatrist.  I will also have a physiotherapist assess my gait.  I googled matatarsalagia and it sure sounds like what I have.  Many sites blame high heels or poor shoes, which definitely is not the contributing factors for me.  I also don't think it's related to having arthritis in the foot.  I really think it's as a result of a new faulty way of walking as my gait has changed since surgery.

On the upside.....oh how wonderful it is to walk normally again!