Ask The Experts
I have pain on top of the left foot, sometimes for weeks, and it changes daily. I did not injure it as far as I know. Doc says arthritis. Will go for weeks without hurting at all. Any ideas?
Thank you for contacting IPFH. We do not diagnose or offer treatment recommendations on line. Since your doctor has diagnosed arthritis, we would urge you to consult with him or her to determine what you can do to eliminate or alleviate the pain. We certainly sympathize, as arthritis can produce pain that can be either constant or sporadic, and it is annoying at best, and debilitating at worst. One thing we might suggest is that you attempt to identify any patterns that may be associated with your pain. For example, does it seem to occur when you are more (or less) active? Is it associated with a specific pair of shoes you wear? Is it associated with standing for long periods, or with any activities or exercises you do? If you can establish any sort of pattern associated with the pain, it might help your doctor help you to determine a beneficial course of action. Of course there are medications you can take, physical therapy routines, and alternative medicine practices that might help you. All of these are topics you can discuss with your doctor. If you don’t feel comfortable with this approach, and barring other remedies you might try, you can always get a second opinion from another medical practitioner. Under any circumstances, we encourage you to continue in consultation with a medical professional, and we hope you will soon be free of this unfortunate pain. You can read more about arthritis and its effects on your feet here.