Foot pain ruining life - anyone got any ideas what to do?

Foot care
1

So, I’ve been having foot pain for a year and a half, and at the age of 22 I am no longer able to have a normal life. I want this to be a constructive forum with ideas about what treatment options I could seek, or who I could see next, so I won’t complain too much. 

The important things to note are:

- stubbed toe extremely badly September 2016 - pain for 2 months

- extremely bad foot pain came back April 2017 - diagnosed sesamoiditis - treated with cortisone - swelling and pain for about 2 months

-  since then, constantly fear of pain recurring, with small niggles here and there lasting a week at a time, until:

- Jan 2018- present: foot pain returned again. Seems to be other sesamoid. Now I cannot walk without thinking about the ball of my foot. Even when it’s not painful, every step I take I worry it will be painful on the next step. I think this has affected my gait and I’ve had some knee and hip pain. It has been painful solidly for 2 weeks after just a few steps taken. 

Basically, I used to love sport, and most of all hiking. It makes me incredibly depressed not being able to have a normal life in my early 20s. I’ve missed lectures, social events, family events, sports, gym and even dates because of this. 

I’ve seen a specialist who says it’s not worth the risk of operating since pain seems to come and go, and I personally don’t want to risk it either. But at the same time I feel like my life right now is terrible and I am not satisfied with leaving it how it is. 

Has anyone experience similar things, and have any ideas about other treatments, shoes, exercises, anything really. 

Thanks for your time 

2

I have a lot of faith in homeopathic remedies as well. Check this out and then you can also research on your own. Believe me...many work. Maybe try kinesio tape too. You just need the right combination for you.:

Home Remedies for treatment of Sesamoiditis

If anyone at anytime suffers from Sesamoiditis. Besides looking for the physician one can try the below Sesamoiditis home treatment methods to relieve the pain. In most cases, conventional treatment works efficiently in the management of the condition.

Ice

Icing the area is a great way to reduce inflammation thereby relieving the pain. A great way to ice the sesamoid region is to grab a bottle of water. Place it in the fridge for a few hours. Roll your foot over the bottle for no longer than 15 minutes and repeat this couple of times.

Sesamoid Relief Sleeve

Sesamoid relief sleeves are useful for reducing the pressure placed on the sesamoid bones. Pressure causes pain, and these sleeves are designed to reduce that pain by distributing the impact from walking out around your foot.

Arch Support

Those with high arches place a lot of pressure downward on sesamoids. Proper arch support can facilitate to relieve this pressure by sharing the force throughout the arch rather than just the ball of the foot. Those who have extremely high arch are mostly vulnerable to sesamoiditis.

Customized shoe or using a shoe pad can assist in reducing pressure on the bone and decrease the irritation of the tendon. The use of metatarsal pad which helps redistribute the weight around the diverse weight bearing points of the forefoot, thus reducing pain and engorgement.

Turmeric and garlic

Natural remedies like turmeric and garlic act as anti inflammatory agents and help reduce the pain. Mix freshly crushed garlic flakes and some turmeric, with a table spoon of honey and use it with lukewarm water two times a day. Avoid taking this combination on empty stomach, because it may cause irritation in the stomach.

Warm water

Soaking the foot in warm water also soothes the infalmmed and painful sesamoids.

All activities that can lead to stress to the joint should be stopped. Rest is considered very essential, especially if the pain is unbearable. It is good to tape the big toe and immobilize the joint, to let it to heal speedily. Above mentioned techniques helps to manage the pain but don’t forget to consult your physician to avoid any serious complication.

3

Since its coming from the forefoot, it could be a neuroma, which is a very painful nerve condition. I know, because I have them in both feet. You are right, loss of mobility is depressing and will get you down if you let it. Without getting into the specifics of that disease, I know that switching to shoes that have a highly cushioned sole and a roomy, boxy toe will help with a lot of forefoot issues. After going through a ton of brands, a podiatrist recommended Hoka shoes, specifically the Bondi line. I tried them and now they are all I'll wear. Also, having custom orthotics helped a lot. For pain, I take Gabapentin, which is commonly used for nerve pain. Hope this helps.

4

Have you tried wearing supportive shoes with a brace or orthotic? I'm also having pain when walking after recovering from a broken foot and I've found that wearing sturdy boots with an arch support insole and metatarsal cushions makes walking more bearable, even though it still hurts. I've heard good things about shoes with a stiff rocker-bottom sole as well as they stop your feet bending when you walk, although they're clunky and expensive so I haven't tried them.

I know how awful it is to be rendered inactive, though! I'm the same age as you and it's driving me mad not to be able to walk very far or very quickly, especially after being on crutches for a month and a half. Wishing you all the best!

5

Thanks both for your replies. I had a look at Hokas and just ordered myself a pair to try as I think the rocker sole and cushioning could help with pain but also with returning my gait to normal. I’ll have a look at metatarsal sleeve on Amazon now as that sounds like it could help.

But, I also think you’re right about rest and ice. I think I will buy myself some crutches and an immobilisation shoe, since I was never actually given either by my consultant, and try to keep the weight off as much as possible for a couple of weeks to see if I can get it to heal, and then I have them for when I need them in the future if I get flare ups etc.  

I’ll have a look into homeopathic remedies. Obviously that’s a name that has somewhat negative connotations, but since I’ve been told by my consultant he can’t do anymore for me, I have nothing to lose from researching it. 

Thanks both for your replies and information, and if anyone else has any further ideas I’d be very grateful still to hear them. 

6

Yeah I hadn’t really thought of the rocker sole aspect before, but I think on the Hokas it could help especially with the cushioning.  I do have orthotics but I’ve been wearing ultraboosts which bend a lot when I walk so I’m thinking they’re not ideal for me at the moment. Hopefully I’ll have some luck with the Hokas. 

I hope you recover soon as well

7

The homeopathic has helped me above and beyond with my arthritis and metatarsal healing. Good luck with those shoes...they may be just what you need to help.. I am pushing 70, and feel better than in 50's thanks to natural remedies.