My brother is suffering from intense pain in both feet. The 3 middle toes. Pain is constant, but ranges from 3-8/9 which is very high for him. It came on suddenly 1 day. He got a full blood work up & is scared because he says he can't live in this condition. Toes look purple ish. There is a discoloration on top of right foot.

I’ve just bought some Hokas and they’re possible slightly too narrow for my feet but I don’t know if that would cause my feet to ache!
I go to the gym a bit and do a bit of walking, but my arches are absolutely killing me sometimes while doing a workout. They’re fine after, and the next day, but while they’re hurting I can barely stand.
I’m assuming it’s the shoes, I’ve had to undo (skip) one of the lace threads to make them slightly more comfortable, they’re caused a couple blisters on the side of my feet too so probably is worthwhile changing them

I was taking colchicine for inflammatory arthritis when I had mid-foot fusion surgery for the second metatarsal. It was a non union. After research, I’ve learned that colchicine can inhibit new bone growth. Has anyone else experienced this?

Left foot, 20y male, currently in military service and was diagnosed with PTTD (but no stage written). Hopefully you guys can help me to see its severity before my upcoming follow-up with the orthopaedist in a week!

(I am still able to walk but with pain after prolonged periods, including lower back pain. Foot has some flexibility.)

Have you ever tried spreading your toes apart without using your hands? You might be surprised how difficult it is!

Your toes play an important role in balance, stability, and natural foot movement.

One simple habit I encourage is practicing toe spreading before putting your shoes on in the morning and after taking them off at the end of the day.

Try spreading your toes apart, holding for a few seconds, and relaxing. Repeat several times. If you have trouble, gently use your fingers to separate them without forcing anything.

This can help maintain toe mobility and improve your ability to control those small muscles in your feet.

After years of working barefoot, I've learned just how much our feet are capable of doing.

Take care of your feet. They're your foundation!

I was diagnosed with this by my podiatrist 6 years ago. I was just told that my orthotics would address this. I was never told to wear them inside the house and I was not given any exercises. I've never had that many issues, the hallux limitus was found because I needed orthotics to fix my leg length discrepancy. The area on the inside of the toes feels somewhat painful when I touch it.

I think I have about 50 degrees of ROM and it didn't seem all that bad to me. Now I've read that doing nothing about it actually makes it worse and it scared me a bit. I'm not sure what to do now. Why didn't my podiatrists recommend exercises? Should I work on this or just leave it alone?

Just curious if anyone’s ever had this before. I recently worked a 6 hour shift standing in my new shoes (vans). I haven’t worn vans in 15 years, but I never had this issue although I was a lot younger. My feet feel sore and I assumed it was from standing, but I noticed the bruising.
The right side has bruising on the ball of the foot and left on the heel.

I went to see a podiatrist after getting really bad pain in my foot when running, and got prescribed with orthotics. The’ve helped a bit though the pain is still there. Every time I’ve gone back for a check up I would ask about possible exercises or stretches to do to help strengthen my foot, but would be met with a resounding ”no”. I mainly wear wide clogs with 0 drop as my dailies and altras (with orthotics) for running.

Is this a common experience with podiatrists? Feel like I got ripped off. I’m thinking of seeing a PT instead.

I got diagnosed with tarsal tunnel in July and was told by my podiatrist to immobilize in a boot.

I spent 3 weeks in and 2 weeks coming out and was in great shape tarsal wise (i could walk and go about my day without feeling it) but the top of my foot was super painful to bend.

So I just started physical therapy to address that and after 2 weeks, my tarsal has become more agitated than it ever was.

Wondering if anyone has had ongoing tarsal problems, if pt ultimately helped or if you have any other routes, tools, tips that helped you get back to full function.

Also calling out that i have HEDS so stretching and mobility is a delicate balance for me.

Hello all, so I looked at my toes today and got randomly curious about toe anatomy and how they can be so different. Which led me to how I walk.

I walk with an almost extreme forefoot gait/pattern that I’m somewhat just noticing after some light walking around the house doing chores. As if I perceive to be walking on ice 24/7 my heels just don’t make contact as I walk on flat ground.

My issue: I struggle with standard balance when walking to a point I question why I’m walking as if I’m drunk. Am I clumsy? Realizing now, It’s how I plant my foot (outside ball—rolling to inside ball of foot) which gets annoying cause I feel like I’m seen as clumsy.
Apart from balance, I can’t jump or descend from a height greater than 4ft without shock being sent through my ankles. Happened when I was younger in sports (I’m 26 now) but it happens way more consistently now that I give second thoughts to such small jumps.

Any advice to recouping some stability in my achilles would be great. The forefoot patterns is longtime adapted and doesn’t provide issue to myself other than casual balance in locomotion and landing flat on my feet.

Thank you in advance!

I’m desperate for advice. I have been dealing with metatarsalgia around my second MTP joint for the last nine months, and it is currently affecting both feet.

I am a 40 year old male, normal weight.

My case is a bit complex because I had a right ankle fusion about six years ago after being diagnosed with a rare ankle tumor that destroyed my tibial Talar joint. I had been doing pretty well with a dynamic AFO device called the ExoSym for the last several years.

About nine months ago, unfortunately, I started to develop metatarsalgia in my fused side while using the device. Then, about six months later, I developed it in my other foot as well (which has no problems in terms of joints).

I started taking it more seriously over the last two to three months by reducing my daily step count. I was initially walking about 12,000–14,000 steps a day. Now I tried to keep it below 7500. I have been avoiding the gym as well. So far, rest hasn’t really done much, and anytime I try to do any kind of meaningful activity , I experience a pretty significant flare that lasts several days and is agonizing. It's very tender below the second toe and driving is very hard (thank god for Tesla self driving)

So far, I’ve seen my PCP and my foot and ankle orthopedic specialist. I had X-rays and an MRI, which did not show anything significant. Ortho thought it might be neuritis so gave a me a few injections in the webspaces of toe 2 and 3 of both feet with no real relief. I have a follow up with him next week.

One caveat is that I do have psoriasis, and I’m concerned this may be a symptom of psoriatic arthritis. I have an upcoming appointment with a rheumatologist. I also have really high arches , I currently am awaiting custom orthotics with arch support and a 2nd MTP relief. I have tried metatarsal pads but no matter the placement it just makes things worse.

Apologize for the novel , just wanted to cover as much as I could.

I am curious whether anyone has dealt with anything similar and, if so, what helped you get better.

I used to have excellent balance and no issues running at all. About 4 years ago I started to develop tendinitis (and eventually tendinopathy) in my left Achilles. I started doing lightly weighted calf raises without shoes and it helped significantly! However, I found out I have tight psoas, some forward hip rotation, and supination in my feet. I’ve been doing 3x1 minute holds of reverse planks, it’s helped a lot with the hip rotation and posture. Even so, now when I try to run I’m not getting significant pain in my left Achilles, I get it in my right calf to a point that walking can hurt a bit.

Strangely, jogging barefoot on a grass field helps with the pain. Would it be worth it to invest in an axis board to help with foot strengthening and supination correction?

Hello,

About five months ago, I fractured my pinky toe. I was told it was a very small fracture, and that I also have a pretty intense hard corn on the outer edge of my toe. I initially had a lot of discomfort, popping and numbness in my forefoot. That finally subsided, and then about two months later, I hit the same toe almost just as hard as the initial injury. I waited about a month to get another x-ray, and was told it was not re-fractured.

The issue is, I’m still feeling quite a bit of numbness and tingling in the front of my foot (mostly around the two smallest toes). It has caused a bit of discomfort in other parts of my forefoot. I’ll admit I was never good about initially resting and letting it recover five months ago, but the pain was never bad.

In the last few weeks, I’ve started getting back into running, but the numbness seems to be exacerbated during a run. The pain has never been bad (at worst a 3/10), but the numbness is somewhat hard to ignore. 

How much longer does it take to feel 100%? I’ve heard it takes longer than most think when it comes to returning to running.

Any input and knowledge is appreciated.

Also, if any people have recommendations for running shoes for these issues — preferably for people with flat feet.

Thanks!

I was diagnosed with hEDS about a year ago and started doing some physical therapy for some other joint issues. Ive always had issues with my feet getting overly tired and my 4th toe causing blisters and bleeding on my third toe when it twists and gets stuck under that toe. My feet look pretty normal until I put weight on them. On both my feet the 4th and 5th toes twist, my arches collapse with weight, the front of my feet splay and I usually toe grip for balance. For the last year I've pretty much only worn open toe sandles with arch support, because even a wide toe box can push that 4th toe under the third. Anyone have any recommendations on excersies or products that can help with any of these issues?

I have mild bunions on my feet. I started doing exercises, but I forcefully stretched my big toes. Ever since then, a mild pain started, which was coming and going—that was back in July.

Then in September, I walked up and down the stairs to the third floor, and that triggered a burning, tingling, and painful sensation in my feet, though it was hard to pinpoint the exact location. I had an ultrasound done, which came back completely clear, and the doctor told me it was a tendon issue.

After that, I walked in small amounts, it was getting better, and I was gradually able to walk more. However, one day I overdid it by a lot, and that evening I had abnormal, extremely sharp stabbing pain. I then rested for 8 days, and after that, I slowly resumed walking in small increments.

Today is the 17th day since that last flare-up, and my current limit is 8 minutes with a break. I keep track of and measure everything. It has never hurt while I'm actually walking. Why is this process moving so slowly, and will it eventually heal?

Title: Plantar fasciitis with possible heel bone damage and lower leg pain — has anyone experienced this?
Hi everyone!
I’ve been struggling with heel pain for several months, and I’m wondering if anyone has experienced something similar.
I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, but I also have pain in the center of my heel, and I’m concerned that there may be an issue with the heel bone as well. My MRI showed bone marrow edema, and I was also told that I have changes in the plantar fascia.
I’ve undergone shockwave therapy and injections. Although my pain improved for a while, I’ve also experienced pain in my lower leg and knee, and I’m trying to understand whether these symptoms could be connected.
I’d like to ask:
Has anyone had both plantar fasciitis and bone marrow edema in the heel?
Did you experience pain in the center of the heel rather than just around the plantar fascia?
Did you also have lower leg or knee pain?
What treatments helped you recover?
Did anyone eventually need surgery, or did the condition improve without it?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through something similar, especially if you’ve had these symptoms for several months. Thank you!