Pain in my foot

[AZSpeechCoach]

My left foot has been hurting for about a week. At first, it seemed more like a muscle cramp, or something in the planter fascia, so I tried some massage. The pain is in the sole, located just behind the ball of the foot and slightly to the left of center. In the past two days, the pain has increased, and you can feel a "knot" in the sole. It is a bump that is sensitive to the touch, although not visible. Yes, I am planning on a doctor visit ASAP, but I wondered if anybody had something like this before, and what it might be. My suspicion is cyst; the wife says herniated muscle. Also, we have a trip in two weeks, and I would like to walk around, so that is a big consideration :)

[Swaggs]

It could be a plantar wart.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantar_wart

[AZSpeechCoach]

It could be a plantar wart.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantar_wart

Except it is internal. There is nothing on the skin itself.

[saldana]

i would tend to think more along the lines of your wife....a cyst would not likely be growing at a rate that went from undetectable to palpable in a matter of 48 hours.

was there any traumatic incident at any point?

[DeToxRox]

Bone spurs perhaps?

[M GO BLUE!!!]

I thought this was a song by Otis Redding...

[saldana]

i would tend to think more along the lines of your wife....a cyst would not likely be growing at a rate that went from undetectable to palpable in a matter of 48 hours.

was there any traumatic incident at any point?

and when you say "to the left of center", do you mean towards the big toe or towards the smallest toe?

[AZSpeechCoach]

Slightly towards the little toe, and I can't think of any traumatic injury that I have had. I really haven't done anything strenuous lately.

[terpkristin]

Still sounds to me a little like plantar faciitis, but it may be a bit far back for that. Did you change anything lately? New shoes? New workout? Injury that changed your normal gait (injury to either foot)? Does stretching help? Did the massage help?

Edit: now I reread, not so sure about PF. Looking on WebMD.. ;)

/tk

[AZSpeechCoach]

Thanks tk...I figured you'd know something about this :) Stretching seemed to help until today, and the massage provided temporary relief until today. Today, it is just miserable.

[terpkristin]

Hmm if stretching and massage help, that's good. PF is usually in the heel (where I thought your pain was originally), so since it's in the ball, I'm not as sure. I mean, the fascia do run up there, but not a common place to have pain I don't think.

Do any shoes make it better? Worse?
Do NSAIDS (Advil, Aleve) help? Wearing thicker socks or adding some cushioning on the ball of the foot?

Some googling ("foot pain ball of foot:") comes up with:
Pain Caused by Damage to the Nerves in the Foot: The nerves that supply the bottom of the foot and toes travel between the bones of the toes. Pain in the ball of the foot may be caused by noncancerous (benign) growths of tissue (neuromas) wrapped around nerves, usually between the base of the third and fourth toes (Morton's neuroma), although these growths may occur between any of the toes. Neuromas usually develop in only one foot and are more common in women than in men.
In the early stages, a neuroma may cause only a mild ache around the third or fourth toe, occasionally accompanied by a burning or tingling sensation in the toes. These symptoms are generally more pronounced when a person wears certain types of shoes, especially those that are too narrow for the front part of the foot, including those that are pointed. As the condition progresses, a constant burning sensation may radiate to the tips of the toes, regardless of what shoes are worn. A person may also feel as if a marble or pebble were inside the ball of the foot.
Doctors diagnose the condition by considering the history of the problem and examining the foot. X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound cannot accurately identify this disorder.
Injecting the tender spot in the foot with corticosteroids mixed with a local anesthetic and wearing orthotics may relieve the symptoms. Repeating the injections two or three times at intervals of 1 or 2 weeks may be necessary. If these treatments do not help, surgical removal of the neuroma often relieves the discomfort completely but may cause permanent numbness in the area.
Pain Caused by Metatarsalgia: With age, there is a loss of the protective pad of fat that cushions the metatarsal heads. Pain at this location is called metatarsalgia. If untreated, the condition can cause inflammation to develop in the bursas that are situated below each metatarsal head (metatarsal bursitis). Rheumatoid arthritis can also cause pain and swelling at this location.
Treatment is by means of special shoes, cushioning, or orthotic devices that shift weight from the ball of the foot to more evenly distribute weight across the entire foot.

[terpkristin]

Dola,
If it were me, I'd probably run to the drug store (or Target or the like) and see if I could find an insert for my shoe that's intended to add more cushioning to the ball of the foot (ball only). I'm betting Dr. Scholl's makes one or something you can try rather inexpensively. If it helps, great! If not, well, you should probably see a doc in either case, so it's an inexpensive way to try to get some relief.

/tk

[AZSpeechCoach]

Thanks for the advice. I'll take some advil and try a different pair of shoes.

[AZSpeechCoach]

ding ding ding...Swaggs wins. The Urgent Care doc said it looks like a plantar wart that has no external features yet. There is a chance it is a small ganglion cyst. I have a podiatrist appointment on Thursday to get it sorted out.

[DanGarion]

Plantar warts suck. I had one removed when I was in High School. It was so big the doctor had all the staff come in and they said they'd never seen one that big.

[terpkristin]

Good call, Swaggs. I'm kinda grossed out by the info on wiki, though. Actually, warts in general. ;)

/tk

[DanGarion]

Talking about feet. I had lots of feet/toe issues when I was in high school. I had a case of really bad ingrown toenails on one of my feet right around the same year and the doctors decided to remove the entire nail and catorize it. Of course after 2 years the nail grew back. I've had a hell of a time maintaining it throughout the years. I had a real bad relapse this past year with the toe, but was able to wait it out on my own. But I know the inevitable is that I'll have go back to the doctors eventually and they will probably have to remove the nail again.

I have a VERY high tolerance to pain but I'm really dreading that day. That was one of the most painful things I've ever experienced.

[Swaggs]

ding ding ding...Swaggs wins. The Urgent Care doc said it looks like a plantar wart that has no external features yet. There is a chance it is a small ganglion cyst. I have a podiatrist appointment on Thursday to get it sorted out.

I had one when I was about 13 or 14 and it sounded like your symptoms. I didn't recall it appearing like a wart, but I really can't remember.

I had mine surgically removed at the office. I'll give you the details if you want.

[AZSpeechCoach]

At this point, you couldn't tell that it is a wart. The outer skin is not wrinkly or ridged. To be fair, though, my feet are pretty rough and the skin is not in great shape, so it might just be hard to tell. The doctor today was poking and prodding pretty thoroughly.

I'm scared of any details you might have. I think I'll just go to the doctor and allow myself to be surprised :)

[Crim]

I say you dig into it real good with a toothpick. Report back as to any green substance you uncover.

[AZSpeechCoach]

I might just get a belt sander and smooth that sumbitch out.

[AZSpeechCoach]

Not so fast...The podiatrist looked at the foot and said that it was not a wart, but rather a soft tissue growth, possibly a cyst, possibly a small tumor, and that I should have it removed. Not a wart as it has no external features whatsoever. Is this a hasty prediction?

[AZSpeechCoach]

Update...I had my foot opened up yesterday. Doc took out a fleshy lump. He said it looked okay. Now, I'm trapped in a boot, can't put any weight on my foot, the foot is swelling and putting pressure on my unaffected toes, and I have a pain medication pump around my waist with a catheter running down into my boot. Having the pump around my waist is making it impossible to remove my shorts to take care of any business. Aaarrrrgggghhhhh!