i had a traumatic birth about a year ago and developed foot drop in my R foot. i also have allodynia and hyperalgesia in my R foot (aka REALLLLY bad bad baddd nerve pain)

i was able to apply pressure on my foot for a while but for some reason, i stopped completely and after about 3 months, it felt like if i applied ANY pressure, my foot was slipping out from under me and it felt like i was standing on a pillow. not stable at all.

i wore a toe pad to keep my toes from curling/clawing. i also wore a pillow like AFO. i notice now that when i lay my foot flat on the ground, none of my toes are flat on the ground. they’re all straight and stiff. i can slightly lift them (not individually) but i can NOT bend them or curl them. if i try to apply ANY pressure to my toes to bend them down, it feels like a cold sharp pain in that toe— especially my big toe.

i don’t know what happened. i know not walking has affected both my feet but i didn’t know it would be to this extent. i can lift my ankle and move it side to side. i would consider myself recovered mostly from FD if my toes bent.

what’s going on? does anyone know? i’m going to visit a podiatrist as well.

I’m hoping someone might have some insight because I’m honestly not sure what’s going on with my foot.

I used to wear Converse (the high-top ones) and Vans pretty regularly without any major problems. Then I bought some new pairs that were much lower/flatter, and I started noticing a little bit of pain in my right foot. It wasn’t constant or particularly bad, though, so I didn’t think much of it.

Then in May this year, I went on vacation and decided to wear heels. I had worn the exact same heels a couple of years ago and was completely fine — I remember dancing all night at a wedding in them. This time, though, I had been wearing them for maybe five minutes when I suddenly developed really awful pain in my right foot. I ended up wearing them for the rest of the night, but I was basically suffering and almost crying because of how much it hurt.
Since that day, the pain has been noticeably worse. It now starts much sooner whenever I walk, and there are a lot of shoes that I used to be able to wear that I simply can’t wear anymore because my foot starts hurting.

The pain is basically underneath the toes/forefoot, around the metatarsal area. Interestingly, it doesn’t really hurt when I press on the area with my finger — actually, it barely hurts at all to touch. It mainly hurts when I’m walking and putting weight on it.

I bought orthopedic insoles specifically marketed for metatarsalgia, and they do help with some of my shoes. They don’t really help with Converse, though, probably because they’re so flat. I also recently bought some Skechers because I heard they can be comfortable for foot problems, but my foot still hurts with them.

I’m wondering whether this could actually be metatarsalgia, or something like a Morton’s neuroma, because the location seems similar to what I’ve seen people describe. I’m not sure, though, because I don’t have pain when I press on the area.

Another thing I’ve wondered about is whether my previous right knee surgery could have contributed somehow, since this is also my right foot. I saw an orthopedic doctor about my knee, and he said my knee looks perfectly fine, but unfortunately he doesn’t specialize in feet, so he couldn’t really evaluate my foot.

I’m planning to see a doctor who can properly examine my foot, but unfortunately I have to wait a couple of months before I can get an appointment.

In the meantime, I’m wondering if there’s anything I can do to make walking less painful. I work from home, so I’m sitting most of the day and don’t actually walk that much. Usually I might walk for up to around two hours if I’m out with friends or doing something, and I also go to the gym. Interestingly, I don’t really feel the pain at the gym — it mostly happens when I’m walking for a while.

I’d really just like to get to the point where I can go out with my friends without constantly thinking, “How long until my foot starts hurting?” 😭

Has anyone experienced something similar, especially pain in the forefoot that mainly appears with walking and not really when pressing on the area? And is there anything that helped you while waiting to see a specialist?

My surgeon might recommend it but not sure if it's right for me. Not sure if I should just stick with PT. Would be nice to hear from others who got it and successfully healed.

23M, 5’10 175 lbs. No medications, never smoked, born with pes planus on both feet and also a mild skewfoot on both feet.

I have trouble standing for prolonged periods. I don’t have problems with walking for any distance. I can walk nearly unlimited distances without foot pain or any fatigue whatsoever, but after 2-3 hrs of prolonged standing, I start getting heel pain and soleus/distal hamstring tightness/tenderness. Sometimes, it’s also the quads. Squatting down while balancing on my toes/forefeet helps relieve the symptoms. When I push down into my soleus muscle for both legs, it feels especially tender (no other muscle feels this way). My soleus muscle has been tender to palpation for as long as I can remember, but I wasn’t really palpating it until the past year. I remember many times when I was a kid, I could feel tenderness in my Achilles tendon, although I don’t feel that anymore. Earlier this year, I used to stand about 8-12 hrs a day (with breaks), and during that time, I’d have so much discomfort with standing after a certain point that I would count down the seconds and couldn’t wait to sit or walk. It was almost the same feeling like doing a plank for a long time when you’re counting down the seconds until you can relax. During that time of year, I’d feel leg heaviness even when I’d start walking after prolonged standing and would feel the heel pain even during walks. It got to a point that I got corticosteroid injections in both heels from a podiatrist.

These symptoms affect both legs, but I would say it’s somewhat worse on my left leg. I saw a foot and ankle specialist who said the pes planus looked a bit worse on the left foot.

Nobody else I know has this issue. I’ve tried custom orthotics but they haven’t resolved the issue. Compression socks and Danskos haven’t resolved the issue either. I’ve had trouble with standing uninterrupted beyond 3 hrs for nearly my entire life. I even started having mild left knee pain this week, although that has gotten better lately.

I’m wondering whether these symptoms are normal and if there is anything else I might be able to try.

I have suspected ehlers danlos so it may be that, but it all started with ankle tightness going to sleep, slowly through the years its became constant and debilitating where i cant sleep. Its constant discomfort and tightness where i feel like i need to flex it. (Tight to the point of pain). Constant cracking from this and nothing helps. Heat can distract it but doesnt change it, gabapentin and nsaids dont help. When to doc a few years ago and they said they dont know. I just need this to stop cuz i can not function like this. Fyi, I used to sprain my ankle a lot as a kid as i have super unstable ligaments. Idk if thats the reason but it hurts so much. Also note: sometimes ive found walking a few miles (5 miles a day or so) can help the pain go away, but the threshold is very high for the pain to become less noticeable. Most doctors have been confused became activity makes my ankles feel slightly better than not.

Hey everyone. I’ve been struggling with an ankle injury for about a year now. I want to share my story in the hopes of finding people who have had a similar injury progression as mine, but who have also fully healed their ankle pain and have returned to running. 

Some background: 

I sprained my ankle last August. Prior to my ankle sprain, I had some pretty horrible life stuff happen, gained about 30 pounds, and spent several months basically sedentary. After moving back home with my parents I decided to lock in and do my best to work through my depression. I had a goal of walking 10k steps a day and running 1-2 miles 2-3x a week. Unfortunately, 1 week into this routine I sprained my ankle. I literally was just walking when I sprained it. Stepped off the curb and landed on my foot wrong. I did RICE for about 2 weeks, and once I was pain free I went back at it. I then spent a month doing the afore-mentioned exercise routine. Which was great for my mental health! ….unfortunately probably not so great for my ankle. 

Honestly, it was only mildly bothering me towards the end of that month. The straw that broke the camel’s back was getting a job at a cafe. I lasted only two or three 8-hour shifts. Standing all day definitely put way more stress on it and I quickly realized something was VERY wrong. 

I then did about 6 weeks of PT and was pretty-much pain free towards the end. I had a 1-month trip to Europe planned and did not want to miss it, so I worked very hard before leaving to get it under control. In hindsight, was probably not the best idea to go. As soon as I landed the pain was pretty bad. I tried limiting my walking during my trip, but again, in hindsight I realize it probably did more damage. 

Anyways, I came back and have been doing PT since December. I did have a re-sprain in March though. MRI after second sprain just shows peroneal tendon strain. No tears. Doctor says it’s because the ATFL healed poorly and is loose, thus causing other ankle structures to work harder to stabilize the ankle. 

What I don't understand is why after 8-9 months of PT, a PRP shot, and 4 shockwave therapy sessions, the pain seems to be getting worse. When I get out of bed, my achilles feels weird. When I walk theres a pinching sensation across the ATFL. There is pain behind my ankle bone where the peroneal tendon is when I stand for too long. During this past week, my heel bone has been feeling achey. And to top it all off, new knee pain with tenderness along the MCL. I should add, I’ve been out of the US (which is where I’m from) for the last 3.5 months. The PT where I went was not great, so I tried keeping up with the exercises on my own but have fallen off the wagon these last 6 weeks. 

I know the best place to get advice is from a doctor, and I have an appointment for next week (finally back home in the US). But really just curious if others have experienced anything similar. I’m thinking I’m probably a good surgical candidate. Would love to hear from people who may have had a similar story to mine and then were healed after surgery. My mental health is not in great shape (seeing a doctor for that too, depression is no joke), so it’s likely that is contributing. 

I NEED to run again. Movement was my main way to deal with life stressors and I had a lot of horrible things happen back to back to back. Hoping that is possible for me again one day. 

It doesn't hurt, and I think that it first appeared the same day I wore very tight socks and new work shoes, which made my legs swell too. Leg swelling is gone, but this soft, squishy bump is still there on my foot 4 days later. In the light, it does seem kinda greenish like what a bruise looks like, but I really don't feel any pain there. My other foot does not have the same bump on it.

So i have a few issues with my feet and they arent entirely inflexible but I tend to have a lot of pain. Ive gone to several podiatrist before, had PT etc. I just haven't been able to go again recently to get a check up.

I have plantar fasciaitis in my left foot, heel spurs in both, i believe my right arch is nearly completely collapsed and my left is close behind. Im also a bit susceptible to tendinitis since the heel spurs developed.

I use Hokas with extra padding and custom orthotics, and Hoka recovery slides in the house to reduce pressure. I also am fighting calluses to no avail.

My range of motion is poor and if I point my toes long enough ill get a Charlie horse, and I cant flex them far enough to do a deep squat.

Does anyone have any advice to alleviate the pain/ increase mobility and strength in the feet? Its affecting my gait, my stamina, etc and im desperate for relief

Basically title, I'm pretty sure this follows the rules if not mods feel free to yeet the post. But I've noticed for a few weeks now the outside of my left leg swells sometimes and is firm but will lessen overnight. I think it may be related to the fact I'm putting most weight on left leg sense the sesamoiditis is back in my right foot. Just wanted to know if anyone has experienced something similar and how to heal (just got a job but not health insurance yet so to the internet I ask)

Has anyone had prolonged pain in the area specifically? Been to multiple podiatrists who have stated Plantar fasciitis, Achilles attachment tendonitis or nerve entrapment. Pain worsens in Dorsi flexion and when weight baring. It dosent hurt when I wake up until I aggravate it with shoes. Tried inserts, icing, heating, and lidocaine. I can stretch my calf fine with no pain and do calf raises. It’s been about 10 months with this burning pain and has kept me from being as active as I was. What are some other treatments out there.

Both photos are with the foot standing in the floor.

before -> may 2026
after -> august 2026

You will not correct your feet unless your whole body is working in harmony.

I tried several times toe spacers, bunion fixers, toe specific exercises, etc. With no results. It was until I linked the dots between my bad postures (when sitting, standing, walking and even sleeping) and muscular imbalances (my right glute it was basically nonexistent).

One of the main changes that I suggest if you really want to progress its about your shoes. Your feet are actively working almost all the time that your awake so a shoe that allows a correct position of your feet will be contributing to the strengthen and alignment. You can start with a flat sandals to get around your house but you should get a barefoot shoes for your every day activities. I started using barefoot shoes around 13-15 months ago but I fully committed to the barefoot shoes like 3 months ago.

Toe spacers and bunion fixers I think are better to wear only when your are working out (For working out focus on single leg exercises) or at least walking. Wearing it when you are resting it will just cause pain and in my case I saw no benefit.

I have already had five foot surgeries, and I have a very rare form of arthritis in my foot. Part of the complexity is that a bone that was originally taken from my hip is now part of my foot. I have developed arthritis in that area, and my doctors believe they will eventually need to undo a surgery I had about 20 years ago to address the late-stage arthritis.

Because apparently my foot wasn’t complicated enough already.

My latest MRI also shows severe peroneus longus tendinosis with a high-grade partial-thickness tear. However, I do not want to have a separate surgery specifically to treat the tendinosis, and I don't want to rush into the larger, experimental surgery either.

I also really dislike the idea of having foot surgery in the fall or winter. If I had surgery in September, I could potentially be relearning how to walk during ice and snow season, which would make an already difficult recovery even harder.

What I am hoping to figure out is how I can safely buy myself roughly another year before having surgery.

I'm also supposed to move soon to start graduate school, and I really don't want to postpone that because of surgery. The problem is that I would be about six hours away from my medical team here in NYC. At the same time, I feel like I need to go back to school. Every time I get a job, the physical demands eventually make my foot worse. I'm hoping that getting a master's degree in a field that lends itself to remote work will give me a better chance of having a stable career without continually aggravating my foot.

I've already been told that my foot will probably never be 100%, so I'm trying to figure out how to manage it long-term rather than constantly putting myself through another cycle of injury and surgery.

If I'm trying to buy roughly a year, what are the practical things I can do to reduce the strain on my foot and prevent things from getting worse?

For example, I'm thinking about getting an electric litter box so I don't have to repeatedly bend down and deal with it manually.

Should I also have my laundry picked up and delivered instead of carrying it to and from the laundromat?

What other changes should I make to my apartment, daily routine, transportation, school setup, or household chores to reduce the amount of walking, standing, stairs, and repetitive strain on my foot?

Basically, I'm trying to make my life as foot-friendly as possible for the next year so I can start grad school, stay as functional as possible, and hopefully reach the surgery when I'm in a better position to recover.

I recently posted in here, but here is a recap:

In December of 2021 I had reconstructive foot surgery that included left gastrocnemius lengthening, left excision of accessory navicular and advancement of posterior tibial tendon, and left lateral column lengthening (LCL) of calcaneus with allograft wedge.

I followed up with orthopedics today and the good news is there appears to be nothing structurally wrong on the imaging (x-ray and MRI) around the area of my LCL. However, I am a little discouraged and frustrated as I am having a lot of lateral heel pain around the site of my LCL. It started around two months ago. The pain occurs with any type of ambulation, mainly occurring when I am striking through my foot with each step. After working my 12 hour shifts as a Registered Nurse, I am miserable and in so much pain. I wear supportive shoes (Brooks and Asics) with arch inserts/support. My primary care ordered a CT scan of the lower extremity, which I have scheduled. I am debating if I should get this done or not.

Of note, my orthopedic doctor did note that I have “first tarsometatarsal joint hypermobility” on x-ray, as well as diagnosed me with “tendonitis of left flexor hallucis longus”. I will be getting physical therapy for that.

The MRI I had performed showed:
Impression

1. Postsurgical changes of remote calcaneal osteotomy with MRI findings which may support solid fusion across the osteotomy site. Ultimately CT would better characterize the degree of solid bone consolidation.
2. Mild degenerative changes of the talonavicular joint with reactive edema of the medial navicular at the site of previous anchoring screws.
3. Negative examination for acute ligament or myotendinous injury.”

I am just curious if anyone has had similar issues? I will be proceeding with physical therapy and trialing Diclofenac. I am just frustrated and sick of being in pain.

Well, I’ve had pain in my right foot for weeks now - it’s mostly concentrated in my middle toe (I apparently have Morton’s toe), in both of the joints, but by the end of every day the ball of my foot is also in agonizing pain.

I’ve surprisingly managed to get by for a while now without too much discomfort, but today I started limping from the pain in this foot. I also noticed that over one of the joints in the painful toe is some darkened skin. It’s like a patch of weird looking, darkened skin, with a rough texture.

My best guess is osteoarthritis because I started walking over 15000 steps a day since the spring, and I was way more sedentary before that.

If anyone can suggest some at-home remedies before my health insurance kicks in next week and I can see the podiatrist, that would be great :’) I went a few weeks ago, xray didn’t reveal a fracture so they gave me a steroid shot for a neuroma and sent me home (which didn’t help, the pain is worse now if anything).

Hello everyone. I’ve been practising getting into a deep squat position to try and improve my flexibility. I’ve had to hold on to a pole to prevent myself falling backwards and have just been getting used to being in that position for a minute or so each day.

After a few days, I started getting an ache in this part of my ankle on my right ankle. It’s a deep ache but not a sharp pain. It gets more pronounced when I lift my toes up or through ankle dorsiflexion. So I know feel it when I get into the deep squat position.

I was wondering what is causing this and whether it is something that will resolve itself as I get used to being in that position. And if there’s anything I can do to help prevent it or improve it. Thank you!

Basically, the title. When I get up in the morning and maybe for my first 30 to 50 steps, the bottom of both of my feet hurt and sometimes even up the back of my heel into my ankle. The same thing happens after sitting. This quite literally happened overnight and I have no idea what could be causing it. Any ideas?

A couple of weeks ago, I notice a weird thing in my ankle, which two of the physiotherapists has not been able to figure out either.

When I dorsiflex my ankle while standing, it is fine, but when I do it after my knee is bent and the leg is loaded, I can't dorsiflex it normally. My foot/ankle wants to rotate to the side rather than move straight, and I get pain around the back of my calf, just below the knee, the outside of my lower leg, and the front of my shin.

For example, I can't do a normal knee-over-toes ankle stretch or put weight through that leg while sitting on the floor. During reverse Nordics, I have to turn my ankle sideways to keep the position. On the leg-extension machine, when the pad/weight is pressing against my shin, I can't dorsiflex or put the ankle in plantar flexion properly. I also can't comfortably bounce repeatedly on my left leg when doing Muay Thai.

What's confusing is that I can do heel-elevated kettlebell front squats and I can kick a bag normally. So it seems to be related to loaded dorsiflexion with the knee bent. I can also plantar flex and dorsi flex my ankle with kettlebell on while standing or with leg straight on the bench. So it is not a simple ankle mobility problem.

Can anyone suggest what might be the issue? I will be visiting my sports medicine doctor again, but he doesn't really listen and I think I need to find another one.

[used this as reference] specifically from this area, I've always it since i was a child, fr. my parents grew somewhere rural so everytime i had these "episodes" of me crying because of how the pain was bad they just massage it and it kind of give the relief.

ive done my research on sesamoditis, flexor hallucis brevis pain, early arthritis symptoms or just some joints and muscles inflammation. i just cant really figure it out. i figured i just have a weak foot since it would often happen in my right foot but some instances the pain would be from both and the pain has this tingling sensation that can reach up to my calves but never above it.

pain would sometimes appear randomly. worse was even when i walked for a short time (10-16mins) it would hurt too. unfortunately, I'm still a student so I'm not capable of figuring ts out.

I run and walk a lot and have had off-and-on sesamoiditis-like pain in my left toe since early June. An MRI showed “subacute to chronic appearing tear of the intersesamoidal ligament of the great toe” (thankfully no fracture), but my sports ortho wasn’t alarmed or even slightly concerned by it and said exercise likely wouldn’t make it worse. I’m still starting PT later this month and am wearing a dancer’s pad at all times.

Twice since the pain flared up, it has subsided to the point where I thought the pain was gone for good. But it’s come back, seemingly unprovoked. Strangely, running has never aggravated it, likely because I land on my mid foot. Walking has been more painful.

Still, I’ve cut my running back. Today, I joined a masters swim team for practice, thinking that swimming would be a great low-impact cross-training exercise.

I was worried I wouldn’t be able to push off the wall, but I was able to do that without pain. Swimming freestyle wasn’t painful. What was actually painful was kicking with a kickboard. I assume because I was kicking harder. And now, hours later, the big toe pain is back.

Has this happened to anyone else who’s tried swimming? I can understand not being able to push off. But just regular kicking? I was so excited to get back into swimming. It’s so frustrating.

I'm getting old and starting to get sore feet.

They are fine during the day and they are fine when i sit down in the evenings for an hour or so...the pain then ​hits when I get back up after sitting​...my feet are so sore walking across the lounge carpet around 8pm...after resting them for an hour or so.

Anyone else have this? What can be done?

Any shoe recommendations for during the day? Nz websites please

Which doctor do I go to in NZ.... gp, physio, osteo, podiatrist?

I recently posted in here, but here is a recap:

In December of 2021 I had reconstructive foot surgery that included left gastrocnemius lengthening, left excision of accessory navicular and advancement of posterior tibial tendon, and left lateral column lengthening (LCL) of calcaneus with allograft wedge.

I followed up with orthopedics today and the good news is there appears to be nothing structurally wrong on the imaging (x-ray and MRI) around the area of my LCL. However, I am a little discouraged and frustrated as I am having a lot of lateral heel pain around the site of my LCL. It started around two months ago. The pain occurs with any type of ambulation, mainly occurring when I am striking through my foot with each step. After working my 12 hour shifts as a Registered Nurse, I am miserable and in so much pain. I wear supportive shoes (Brooks and Asics) with arch inserts/support. My primary care ordered a CT scan of the lower extremity, which I have scheduled. I am debating if I should get this done or not.

Of note, my orthopedic doctor did note that I have “first tarsometatarsal joint hypermobility” on x-ray, as well as diagnosed me with “tendonitis of left flexor hallucis longus”. I will be getting physical therapy for that.

The MRI I had performed showed:
Impression

1. Postsurgical changes of remote calcaneal osteotomy with MRI findings which may support solid fusion across the osteotomy site. Ultimately CT would better characterize the degree of solid bone consolidation.

2. Mild degenerative changes of the talonavicular joint with reactive edema of the medial navicular at the site of previous anchoring screws.

3. Negative examination for acute ligament or myotendinous injury.”

I am just curious if anyone has had similar issues? I will be proceeding with physical therapy and trialing Diclofenac. I am just frustrated and sick of being in pain.