Another foot pain thread. Advice needed.

I have developed a strange foot pain. It is most pronounced when I bend over at the waist with my my legs straight. When I do that it feels like someone is tasering my heel. Another good way to make it happen is to sit down, straighten my knees, and try to point my toes back at my chest. I know this because my wife suggested stretching last night. The stretching had no noticeable effect. It started out as once in a while, now I can pretty much count on it every time I bend over. I guess what makes this strange is the fact that it will give me this sudden pain, but as soon as I stop whatever motion is causing it the pain is gone, its completely gone. No soreness, no nothing. Like it never even happened.

So anyway the stretching last night had no apparent benefit. I changed from the steel toed boots I normally wear to dress shoes today (I work in an office but have to wear steel toes to go in the shop so I normally just wear them all the time). Does any body have any idea what could be doing this and what I should do about it?

Back of the heel or bottom? Back, I presume, either Achilles tendinitis or retrocalcaneal bursitis. Ice, stretching calves and hamstrings, put a heel lift in your shoes until you get over it

In reply to Toebra:

Yeah, back inside corner seems be the epicenter. Thanks so much.

I friggin love this place.

I woke up one morning and got out of bed and pain shot from my heel up my leg. No injury the night before or any other possible cause. The doc said maybe a heel spur, but nothing on the X-Ray that was definitive. I could barely walk for a week, then the pain was there if I stood or walked a certain way for about 6 weeks. Then it would hit if I flexed a certain way, but not as bad for a few weeks. And eventually, maybe 3-4 months later, it was gone.

My diagnosis was: I am getting older and from time to time, a part of my body will hurt for no reason for a while and then go away.

Could be a bone spur as a result of plantar fasciitis. I had similar issues a few years back and had a bone spur that looked like a talon on my heel. Stretching and ice are the typical treatments, and it takes time to see improvements - it won't feel noticeably better overnight. I keep a water bottle in the freezer to roll my foot on when needed.

Any tightness in the ankle? If so its similiar to my problem that hasnt been diagnosed properly in 9 years.

In reply to dropstep:

No, thats the strange part. The pain comes on from a wrong move, but when its not there, theres no soreness, no stiffness, no swelling, no nothing. Not even a few minutes of lingering pain afterward.

EastCoastMojo wrote: Could be a bone spur as a result of plantar fasciitis. I had similar issues a few years back and had a bone spur that looked like a talon on my heel. Stretching and ice are the typical treatments, and it takes time to see improvements - it won't feel noticeably better overnight. I keep a water bottle in the freezer to roll my foot on when needed.

plantar fasciitis Is an evil thing. When I went from part time to full time, I had decent boots, but they were not up to the task of 8 hours a day, 5 days a week walking on concrete and tiled floors. By the time I got rid of them, I could barely walk in them.

now I am fine except for the first couple of steps after sitting for any length of time.

I used one of these for plantar fasciitis. It took a while, but it did help!

Strassburg sock is pretty good, keeps it from tightening up while you are sleeping. Mad Machine, you need one of those, routine stretching or both. Supports are good, I like Superfeet, recommend them a lot. Replace the insole that came in the shoe with them. If you have to trim them, DO NOT cut them too short, or it will bug the heck out of you.

Frozen water bottle is not effective way to apply ice. Use one of those gel ice packs, or a bag of frozen peas or corn. Just don't try and eat the peas or corn because after a few freeze/thaw cycles, you will break a tooth.

Gearhead, sounds more like bursitis to me.

The spurs on the bottom of the heel are more a result of what is making it hurt, rather than what is actually making it hurt. Plantar spur is generally asymptomatic.

Unfortunately for my tootsies lower back pain determines the choice of Dr Scholls. If you don't want plantar fasciitis stop wearing jackboots! I swear I crack myself up.

My pain is getting better slowly with super feet and stretching. I've had good success in the back with spin class helping the pain go away. I need to jump back on my spin bike.

The superfeet won't fit in my work dress shoes so bought some 3/4 length power step pro slim ones and they work ok.

Just picked up some asics gel kayano's for walking around. They help a great deal as well but are crazy expensive. $90 for an old model on back to school sale the new ones are $160 msrp.

For the back you have to do strength and flexibility for your core, yoga, pilates, tai chi, that sort of thing. If you go to the Asics website, you can order clearance shoes from last season for fairly cheap sometimes. Superfeet has a model for dress shoes. Chris Smith was one of my biomechanics professors in podiatry school

May want to look at Seavers disease. Basically it is microcracks of the heal. I had it and it really sucks.

Sever's refers to posterior heel pain in people who have that growth plate open that is parallel to the pull of the Achilles. Not likely that anyone old enough to have a driver's license is going to get this.

Mine was micro cracks of the heal bone. They called it Severs. Supposedly caused by pulling on the heal bone by the lower leg muscle/tendons. May be the doctor used the wrong name? I don't know. All i know is it hurt like hell. Basically did nothing for 2 months with a removable cast on my foot. But once the cast was removed and some PT I was all set.

I love my Superfeet inserts. Best I've ever had. Use them in every thing.

Yes Dean, your doctor was mistaken about your diagnosis. No growth plate, not Sever's.

Ditto on the effectiveness of the Superfeet. Without them, my feet and legs start hurting after a few hours.

Plus whatever for Plantar's Fasciitis. DW had a real bout of this and had terrible pain in the backs of both ankles. It took PT, rest, and very good arch supports to make it go away, but it almost entirely has. Good luck!

and now I got a gout flare.... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

In reply to iadr:

doing it.. rawr.. I think I'm done drinking for some time. It's usually not the drinking that does me in but a combo of drinking and just not getting the gallon of water a day I'm use to that brings it on..

For every cocktail you have, drink about 10-12 ounces of water and you will probably be able to avoid the gout

Fueled by Caffeine wrote: and now I got a gout flare.... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Ohhhh I am an expert on that bit of fun. I don't know your level of experience with this. I know a lot about it and am glad to share. I started a thread over on corner carvers about it and have updated it with lots of info.

Here

Cherry juice is okay, but if'n I were to give you a cortisone shot in it you would want to kiss me right on the lips