Most Recent Questions:

• I have a knot on the outside of my foot that is painful. It just started approximately one week ago. What could it be, and should I see my regular doctor or a podiatrist?
• What would cause the pain on the left side of my left foot? Going bare foot, changing shoes, applying ice or heat does not make the pain stop. I have not been able to see a pattern of cause and effect.
• Yesterday I seemed to have a cramp in my right foot (big toe) that didn't want to go away. Later on that evening I was still having pain in the ball and arch of my right foot. This morning I can't put any weight on my right foot. I don't know what to do? Doctor? Hospital? Help please.
• I have pain in my left foot, heel area around back and both sides, and I can pinpoint the location of pain. It often happens with 3-4 months gap and in either foot left or right in the same area. Pain is often so severe that I cannot stand or walk. Some doctors say it is due to raised uric acid level, while others say it is fasciitis. Kindly advise.
• Why do my feet ache so badly when I stand up and walk, the outer foot, the heel and the toes? The pain has been very bad for about 4 months now.
  
• I have had foot pain for 1 week. First it felt like normal aching from walking, but it has got worse, and now it is becoming swollen more and more each day. What do you think it could be, and would it be worth a visit to A and E to have it examined. I would have to limp there, mind, but I am concerned, and I think it could be a blood clot. Thank you.
• I have a lot of pain in the heels of my feet.
• Most days my feet sting, burn and almost feel like I've been walking on glass so much so that I sometimes can barely walk. I'm only 39 and so far healthy. It usually starts by my feet getting sore (which I usually think is from heels all day) but after removing my shoes I cannot put them back on as the feet are so sore.
• Is there any solution to my foot pain?
• I'm having pain on dorsum of my feet...visible swelling is present that is tender to touch. Pain is worse at night and in the early morning. Walking also aggravates it. Pain killers are a temporary relief. I am age 55. What can be the possible causes?
  
• Who can help me with correction of foot binding?
• I have been to three podiatrists, have a customized insole, have tried met pads, and nothing seems to help. Problem is in the forefoot and is apparently caused by capsulitis. Forefeet and toes feel swollen during the night, and it is extremely uncomfortable to walk almost all the time, except when I use some cheap sandals that have adapted to the shape of my feet. I would pay some serious money to a shoe advisor who could direct me to shoes that might be useable. I can barely walk after being in even expensive shoes for two hours. Is there such a person who does one-on-one consultations?? Any light you can shed would be helpful.
• I've had 3 separate occurrences of spontaneous bruising of my right foot. It starts with a feeling of standing on a large rock, with hard swelling on the bottom of my foot, and turns into a large area of bruising, encompassing the side and top of the foot. Also, almost complete numbness of 1/3 to 1/2 of the foot (both top & bottom), including the toes. Different types of shoes have been worn prior to each occurrence. An MRI and x-rays of the original occurrence were negative.
• I have flat feet and have always had flat feet. I have always had some foot pain but not anything that slowed me up. I do know as a kid ice skates would hurt like hell after a fairly short time but I attributed that to the arch in the skate forcing my flat foot into an unnatural position. The wear pattern on my shoes is classic pronation wear. I am a runner and in the past have done a fair amount of races including a marathon in 1988. The last few years my feet started hurting after running fairly short distances (3-4 miles or long walks probably 10-15 miles). These are normally when we are traveling and wandering around a new city. The pain was/is bad enough to have me hobbling about the next day and to inhibit me from running. I had some relief from using motion control shoes. A year ago I bought some Birkenstock fitted 3/4 arch supports, which seemed to help more than the motion control shoes. But I still have foot pain the night and the next day if I am on my feet all day or run just a few miles. The pain is focused on the inside center of both my feet at the top of the arch and up and inch or two. Any ideas as to what I could do to mitigate the pain? I am 55 years old, 6 ft 2 in 180 pounds. I always ran about 165 lbs until 7-8 years ago when I added weight lifting to my routine and I put on 15 pounds of upper body muscle. I am in excellent general health and not on any medications. I do take some nutritional supplements and have for over 30 year: presently C, E, a multi-vitamin, low dosage aspirin, fish oil, and melatonin.
  
• Perhaps this is an insect bite - but there's no puncture mark - the top of my foot is swollen, bruised from toes to ankle and pretty sore (cannot wear a shoe) . It's bluish in colour. It happened one evening - no injury - nothing dropped on it - just came home, took off my sandal and noticed quite profound swelling. Its not subsided at all after 3 days . Any ideas?
• I have an area of swelling on the inside of the foot below the ankle. An athletic trainer called it a fat pad. Ever heard of this?
• I fell down a ladder and caught my leg in a rung...why am I having a lot of lateral leg pain by my shin?
• What is the general amount of time to receive prescription pain medication after removal of 2 bone spurs, outside and top of great toe?
• I injured my foot sliding into a base playing softball 6 weeks ago. There was immediate pain on the top of my foot, but minimal swelling and no bruising. It hurt to walk on it, but I figured I just sprained it a little and that it would get better over time. After 5 weeks when I still was experiencing pain, I went to my GP. Regular X-rays were normal. My GP doesn't seem interested in pursuing further testing and just gave me a prescription for an anti-inflammatory. I still can't run on it and it bothers me if I stand or walk on it for prolonged periods of time. I'm afraid to try to play softball again if it may cause further harm. Do simple sprains take this long to heal or is something else possibly going on? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
• I saw [an initiative to send socks to migrants in Mexico] on the Amnesty International web site. In health terms how important is [it] for migrants to have clean new pairs of socks? Even when they are not padded as recommended in the site. What are the consequences for the migrants of not wearing socks in their trip?
• I saw your article on my local news tonight about how wearing flip flop sandals [is] bad for your feet... . My question is, have you done any kind of study with the foot wear [called] "Five Fingers?" They supposedly promote better posture and balance because it's like walking barefoot. Do you have any insights [about] these shoes?
• Getting foot massages tend to help with my foot fatigue. Are there any clinical cautions regarding foot massage [for people with diabetes]?
• I would like to know WHERE I can purchase padded socks.
• I have a toe nail fungus that has spread to the other toes on my left foot. I have tried the pills and several homeopathic treatments. What else can I do?
• What causes and how do you cure pressure ulcers?
• Should I be concerned that the bottom of my feet are oftentimes, not always, quite red when I wake up.
• I am in very good physical health and have normal feet when home exercising on a daily basis. However, when I travel, whether by car or plane, my feet swell. At first I thought it was a result of air travel and being seated for hours. However, the same occurs when traveling by car. Again, perhaps sitting too long is the answer. Then again, I sit at a computer for most of the day and nothing happens.
• I often get ingrown toenails that cause the skin around the nail to become puffy and painful. What can I do to stop this?
• Sometimes my feet smell bad. Why is that?
• I’ve always thought of socks as fashion accessories, but IPFH says they’re critical to foot protection and comfort. Why?