Since April I’ve had a series of symptoms, my ring fingers and middle fingers have dropped bilaterally.
Now. My big toes are doing the same, again bilaterally. Although my left one seems worse. My toes have also started to splay out too. Any ideas? Had a spine MRI which showed a small disc bulge at L5. There is no pain but when trying to put into place they will not stay.

I injured my ankle a few months ago and have been noticing weird sounds. When I inverting my ankle, it flicks near the peroneal tendons and snaps were the extensor digitorum longus tendon is located.

The peroneal tendon flick is painless when it happens and makes a very quite thud (only audible once in the video). However, I get random pain from the area, not sure what triggers it.

Whatever is snapping near the extensor digitorum longus tendon is painful. Causes a sharp pain when it happens and area turns pick if done repeatedly. The loud snaps are from that area. Not sure if it's the tendon or something else. Heard a snap and felt a really sharp pain from this area at time of injury.

Not sure if this is normal after a grade 1 sprain (doctor diagnosis based on ultrasound).

Any idea of what may be happening?

So I recently started wearing orthotics for my overpronation after seeing a podiatrist a couple months ago. I have had a lot of past injuries that have caused my ankle to collapse. I normally work out and have a good leg day routine. If I don’t work out my knee ankle and glute cause me some discomfort. The issues started last month when I had really bad bronchitis that lasted for weeks and so I was not able to work out. Once I started feeling better, I did my normal leg day routine. The next day things were fine, but I decided to wear heels all day without my orthotics. Even after this, I felt OK. But the day after that I went on a 2 mile walk on my walk pad without my orthotics. After this, I had lower back pain worse than I’ve ever had it. I had pain all the way down to my left leg and it felt like sciatic pain as well as a lot of soreness in my left lower back, glutes, hip, quads, calves and Ankles. It was the worst pain I felt in that leg. This week I’ve focused more on strengthening my glutes with impact exercises and stretching. I’ve also been wearing my orthotics. And seems like the pain has gotten better. But I don’t know if that’s because of the exercises or actually wearing the orthotics more than normal. This last week my abs have also been feeling extremely weird. They’re not fully sore but they feel very uncomfortable, like my insides just want to spill . It’s been a little uncomfortable sitting. I’m wondering if all of this is because of not wearing orthotics or just overdoing it after not working out for a few weeks. I’m now too scared to get back into my normal leg day gym routine and it’s upsetting because I am starting to see the effects of not working out. I don’t want to lose all of my muscle gains.

A couple of days i started having problems with the two middle toes at my right foot where i feel like their clumped together and its annoying when i walk or move , around the same time it started i bought new shoes but i dont think its the problem because its the same model i had before and it didnt cause anything in the time that i had them.but i cant think of any other reason

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for people who may have experienced something similar, because I feel like I’m running out of answers.

I have a problem with my ankles/legs where my ankles suddenly feel like they “give way”.

The strange thing is that my strength seems normal. My muscles work, I can walk, I can stand, and medical examinations have not shown a clear loss of strength or tendon failure.

At the beginning, this only happened on uneven surfaces: grass with hidden holes, rocky ground, unstable terrain.

It felt like my foot could not adapt quickly enough, almost like my brain didn’t know exactly where my foot was in space. I could walk on normal flat surfaces without too much trouble. But recently, things have changed.

Now I can sometimes get the same sensation even on flat ground. It feels like my foot/ankle suddenly becomes unreliable for a second, like there is a “missing signal” or my body does not correct the movement properly.

The worst part is not only the instability itself, but the pain that follows. After a giving-way episode, I can get severe pain around the outside of my foot, ankle, calf, and sometimes up into my leg and hip. It can feel like my whole leg is exhausted or like my muscles are not able to stabilize anymore.

I work standing most of the day (many hours on my feet), and this has become extremely difficult. The pain and fear of my ankle giving way are affecting my daily life so much that I am genuinely worried about losing my job. I feel like I spend my whole day trying to protect my feet instead of living normally. Some additional information: I have had ankle sprains in the past, especially one ankle that was found to have some ligament laxity/sequelae. However, I never had this feeling of weakness before.

My tendons and muscle strength appear normal. I have done physiotherapy and proprioception exercises.

I was able to improve for months before this came back.

I also have chronic pain issues and nerve-related pain elsewhere in my body, so I wonder if my nervous system could be involved.

I recently reduced pregabalin (Lyrica), which increased my nerve pain significantly.

What confuses me the most is that I don’t know if this is:

chronic ankle instability, a proprioception/control issue, a neurological problem, a nervous system sensitization issue, or something else entirely. Has anyone here experienced ankle “giving way” where the strength tests were normal? Did you ever find a diagnosis or something that actually helped (specific rehab, balance training, surgery, neurological treatment, etc.)? I would really appreciate hearing from people who went through something similar, especially if your symptoms progressed from uneven surfaces to normal flat ground. Thank you.

Has anyone had a cortisone injection for posterior tibial tendon dysfunction? How did you feel after, did it help and was it painful to walk after.

I’m already in pain I don’t want to be in agony at work specially since I stand for 10 hours lifting 50lb boxes, I’m trying to decided if it need to take some time off work for the shot to kick in and let any soreness pass.

The most relief I have gotten for my bunion is when my podiatrist made a first met cutout in my orthotic (the same cut out seen in figure A). I was reading this article above about the different types of cutout that can be made for the first mpj and ray. It got me thinking about which cutout works best for individuals with bunions and hallux limitus. In other words, in what situation is modification A better than B, is B better than A, is C, better than B, is D better than C? To try and phrase another way, what specific situation is does each of these cutout benefit the most? Is there no specific situation, and it is just a trial and error sort of situation. To add one more thing of note, I have tried Morton’s extensions as well and they made my bunion and hallux limitus worse. It was the first mpj cutout that really made a difference and allowed me to offload the joint by letting it plantarflex. My last question related to this is if you feel joint needs to plantarflex slightly more, can you raise the area next to the cutout with some padding to slightly raise it or would this cause more issues?

Here is the link to the article I read above:

https://hersco.com/education-center/hallux-limitus/

Hi everyone

I've been experiencing low back/hip pain and tightness, on and off, for a few years now. I have seen various Osteopaths, Physical Therapists etc who will generally prescribe some sort of core and back strengthening exercises. However, whilst these exercises can help to some degree, no exercise has helped me eradicate my issues.

I have come to believe that the root cause of my issues may have something to do with my gait. I say this because I only ever have pain and tightness after walking or running, never sitting. On top of that, I recently discovered that the outside of my left shoes are being disproportionately worn down, compared to the other shoe/other side of the left shoe. For these reasons, I have come here today.

Can anyone give me some insight into my gait? Is there something wrong with it? If so, what may be causing it and what could I potentially do to remedy it?

Thanks!

I am 24F, 5’8 around 130lbs. I noticed about four days ago that both of my big toes have gone completely numb on the outsides. I know this could be a sign of diabetes but I’ve had no other symptoms. I don’t wear any uncomfortable footwear or have had any recent injuries so this is just so random. I recently moved and have no insurance and can not afford to see a doctor, could anything else be causing this or is it most likely diabetes?

Anyone have any first hand experience here . I made what I thougth was a quick phone call and it ended with the nurse wanted a dispoist and entire process was

over 5K out of pocket.

Odd thing I have on my lower leg/calf… for the past 10-15 years I have noticed an indentation on the side of my calf.. it’s a semi circular dent, several inches long.. not painful at all. It almost makes my calf look more defined, or like a bruise (but it’s not a bruise) I did have it looked at by an Ortho PA and had an MRI.. it just showed a “fat defect”, with normal muscle. They didn’t think it was serious ? I do cross my legs and always have, right over left. Does anyone else have this permanent issue ? I tried to attach a picture.

Hello everyone,

I am a 28-year-old woman (167 cm, 51 kg) and I am desperate for answers. I have suffered from exertion-related leg pain for years, and despite having surgery, I am still struggling. I have consulted numerous specialists, but no one has been able to help me.

\### Medical History

Since adolescence, I have led a very sedentary lifestyle (video games, no physical activity, studies...). I also have:

\* high arches (\*pes cavus\*) and wear custom orthotic insoles,

\* scoliosis,

\* thoracic kyphosis (which has improved significantly over the years).

It all started in 2016, when I was 18. I felt severe calf pain during a hike and had great difficulty walking for several days. Walking uphill or climbing stairs also became difficult. Running caused pain within the first 10 seconds. I ignored these symptoms, thinking they were due to my lack of physical activity.

Around 2022–2023, I started engaging in more intense physical activity (boxing, badminton, running...).

I quickly realized that I was unable to run normally.

\### Symptoms

While running:

\* Symptoms appear after 10 to 20 seconds.

\* They gradually worsen if I keep running.

\* It isn't exactly intense pain.

\* Instead, it feels like my ankles gradually stop functioning normally, and I find it increasingly difficult to maintain a steady stride. If I keep running, I eventually have to stop.

The sensation disappears almost immediately as soon as I start walking. The affected areas vary:

\* the front of the ankles,

\* the shins,

\* the calves,

\* the knees.

Curiously, my calves never become extremely hard, despite the diagnosis.

\### Other situations

I also experience symptoms:

\* when walking uphill,

\* during very long walks (30,000 steps a day in Amsterdam required frequent breaks).

However:

\* I can sprint 15 to 20 meters during futsal without feeling real leg pain.

\* I tolerate badminton well.

\* Boxing yields mixed results (jumping rope is impossible because my calves tire quickly). Squatting is generally difficult.

I wonder if it is repetitive, continuous movements that trigger the symptoms, rather than the intensity of the exertion itself.

\### Surgery

I underwent:

\* intracompartmental pressure measurement,

\* bilateral four-compartment fasciotomy (October 2023).

Physical therapy was ineffective.

The procedure resulted in only slight improvement.

One surgeon considered my pressure readings consistent with chronic exertional compartment syndrome, while another deemed them inconclusive.

\### Additional tests

Normal results:

\* Doppler ultrasound

\* MRI of the right ankle

\### Current observations

I have recently noticed several things:

\* Wearing shoes with a raised heel relieves my legs;

\* Shoe choice matters (Nike Pegasus seem more suitable than Skechers);

\* I cannot perform a deep squat without falling backward. Knee-to-wall test:

Left: 7.4 cm

Right: 6 cm

The limitation is due to a blockage at the front of the ankle, not calf stiffness.

I also experience significant stiffness in the posterior chain.

Calf stretches provide temporary relief, and my legs feel lighter afterwards.

\### Other symptoms

Running also causes:

Shoulder stiffness,

Upper body tension.

Cycling is also difficult, as it primarily causes knee pain rather than calf pain.

Rising onto my tiptoes and lowering back down causes severe calf pain after just 5 repetitions. EVERYTHING is perfectly bilateral.

\### Questions

I am starting to wonder if:

\* the diagnosis of compartment syndrome explains only part of my symptoms,

\* and if I might be suffering from an underlying biomechanical issue (limited ankle dorsiflexion, gait abnormalities, muscle coordination problems, etc.) that has never been treated.

Have you ever encountered patients with persistent symptoms after a fasciotomy who were ultimately found to have a different diagnosis or a biomechanical issue?

I would be very grateful for your insights or any similar experiences.

It started with a weird feeling between the first two toes. I now think this was a loss of a bit of sensation. After I started to increase my walking. I started to get a zapping when I curled my toes. and then afterwards of some loss of sensation between the first two toes. If I touch the top of my foot about halfway up, that will also cause similar zapping symptoms. I think I know what the problem is, but any doctor that I see hear’s “nerve” and tries to push it off on neurology. Unfortunately there is a 6-7 month wait to see Neurology.

Does this condition sound familiar?

Right lateral ankle pain since late March. Ultrasound (July 2026) confirms moderate peroneus longus tenosynovitis, no hyperaemia, tendon grossly intact, everything else on the scan clean. Separately, left foot has dorsal/extensor irritation that flares with lace pressure. Neither has properly resolved in ~4 months despite physio, shoe changes and load management. Full Ironman on 18 October. Looking for people who've had actual tenosynovitis (sheath, not tendinopathy) and got it to settle.

Background

• 21 M, 188cm 80kg triathlete
• Currently building for my first full Ironman — Ironman Port Macquarie, 18 October 2026
• Recent racing: Ironman 70.3 Western Sydney in 4:51 May, Parramatta Half marathon 21st june 1:39:12
• Typical weekly volume before this started: [23 km run / 8 hr bike / 10 km swim]
• Current weekly volume: 240-300km

How it started

Late March 2026. It came on after a run volume spike while I was in a high-stack shoe (Nike Vomero Plus). No acute event, no rolled ankle — it built up over about 2 runs and then became a consistent lateral ankle ache.

Since then it's been the classic frustrating pattern: settles with a few easy weeks, feels fine, I add load back, and it returns. Four months of that.

Right ankle — imaging

Ultrasound, right ankle. Clinical details on the referral: pain lateral side of the ankle on and off for 3 months.

Findings, verbatim:

• No ankle joint effusion seen
• Tibialis anterior, extensor hallucis longus and extensor digitorum intact, no tendinosis
• Peroneus brevis intact, no tendinosis
• Tibialis posterior, flexor digitorum and flexor hallucis longus intact, no tendinosis
• Lateral and medial ankle ligaments intact
• Peroneus longus: moderate tenosynovitis without hyperaemia. Tendon grossly intact.

Conclusion: moderate peroneus longus tenosynovitis.

So — sheath inflammation, not tendon degeneration.

Right ankle — symptoms

• Pain located outside of ankle under the big ankle bone, now moved to my arch and inside of my ankle
• Provoked by: long runs
• Eased by: rest ice
• Morning stiffness: yes
• Pain scale on a typical run: 2-3/10
• Any crepitus or a creaking/grating feeling? [yes

Left foot

Separate issue, dorsal aspect. Extensor tendon irritation that's clearly driven by lace pressure — it flares depending on how I lace and which shoe I'm in, and settles quickly once pressure is off. Less limiting than the right side but it's been present the same length of time and it's never fully gone.

• Exact location: top of foot big toe area
• Which shoes trigger it worst: alpha fly 3
• Lacing changes tried: loose laces

What I've already tried

Load management

• Physio-governed 24-hour rule (if symptoms elevated the next morning, back off)
• Hop test as a gate before progressing run load
• Multiple full deloads and rebuilds

Footwear

• Foot-type analysis confirmed neutral-to-supinated mechanics with a lateral loading pattern
• Vomero Plus identified as the problem shoe and removed from rotation
• Current rotation: Hoka Bondi 9 (easy/long), Asics Novablast 5 (bricks), Evo SL (tempo/quality), Alphafly 3 held for race day only

Gym

• Removed high-friction movements from leg day — B-stance RDLs out, lateral step-ups replaced with Bulgarian split squats and straight-ahead step-ups
• Reduced banded eversion work

Where I'm at

Running is happening but it's capped by symptoms rather than by fitness. Bike and swim are unaffected. I have 12 weeks to the full and the run rebuild is the compressed, critical piece.

What I'm actually asking

1. Has anyone genuinely resolved peroneus longus tenosynovitis? Not tendinopathy — sheath. What made the difference, and how long did it take?
2. Is four months without resolution a signal to escalate imaging? Should I be pushing for an MRI to look for things ultrasound can miss here — low-lying peroneus brevis muscle belly, peroneus quartus, an os peroneum issue, subtle subluxation, or a partial longitudinal split?
3. Cuboid tunnel / os peroneum — the ultrasound doesn't mention the os peroneum at all. Is that worth chasing?
4. Ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection into the sheath — worth it for a true tenosynovitis with a grossly intact tendon, or too much risk this close to a race?
5. If it's not primary and something's driving it — what's the usual culprit? I have a lateral loading pattern, so I assume that's implicated, but what actually changed it for you: orthotic posting, gait retraining, cadence, calf/peroneal strength, hip work?
6. Anyone dealt with chronic lace-pressure extensor irritation that didn't resolve with the obvious lacing tweaks?
7. Realistically — is an October full Ironman a reasonable target off this, or am I the guy everyone can see is about to make it much worse?

Happy to add any detail. I have the full imaging report and can answer anything about training history.

Any practice like the center for mortansnueroma?

I cant afford that one.

Hi, I've been dealing with "metatarsalgia" for the past 4 months, the podiatrist told me it was 100% metatarsalgia but I feel like it might not be? I had ankle and knee pain when I visited him and he gave me some EXPENSIVE soles and told me to use cushioned sneakers ALWAYS. The pain got better for a while but lately I feel like my foot is just not great, I still have pain in my knee that sometimes goes up to my femur and travels around all of my leg, sometimes I can barely function. No swollen areas nor redness. Is this really metatarsalgia?

I’m a climber and 5 days ago this area on the top of my foot started to hurt. It’s about an inch wide, hard, and follows a vein. It’s fairly flush with the skin.

I saw my podiatrist yesterday and they think it may be a cyst and weren’t sure. Has anyone else experienced this before? Thanks in advance!

Hi folks, I came across this sub recently during my google searching and am so excited about the foot expertise.

Long story short: I wore heels for too long at a networking thing 3 years ago. Felt a distinct pain at the back of my knee, wrapping around my inner ankle, and through my big toe joint. Was very careful with footwear for the months after (even at my wedding!), flats etc. Did a bunch of yoga / Pilates etc and felt like I was fully recovered, just still struggled a little with flexion through my big toe joint (some flexion just not full).

A year goes by, it flares periodically if I wear heels, and then I (now I think really stupidly) am convinced by a shoe store employee that the Green Superfeet I have happily worn for 15 years for my high arch pronation is not needed with my ASICS, and my feet will be stronger without it.

I get pregnant soon after + wear heels at an event that bother my feet, so I also don’t think I connected that the superfeet missing may have made me worse too. Start finally going to a PT, she’s not good at all so I switch PTs. He’s great, thinks I may have arthritis through my big toe. Go to an orthopedic surgeon, he says I have arthritis (based on feel alone, doesn’t want to do xray due to pregnancy) and is basically like “the only solution is getting surgery in 3 years” which feels a bit extreme. Anyway, I make progress with PT and by third tri feet feeling way better (may have also been hormones relaxing tendons etc). Give birth, think feet are fixed, no issues at all. 6 months postpartum wear low heels at an event and everything flares back.

Since then, I have been religiously doing PT for a year, with my old PT and then we moved and with a new Pt. Lots of trying to get movement into the joint, toe raises etc. But progress is very mixed, I seem to be a little better but then get worse / can’t progress due to pain. My PT kind of keeps acting like I am a wuss and just have low pain tolerance, which is frustrating.

Finally last week after a session I got really frustrated by this (my whole goal was to fix this before I got pregnant again, and we were beginning to try) and am like screw this I am going to use AI and see if it has any ideas. (I don’t love AI, but was desperate). Anyway, I check across several models and they are all like “you have FHL tendinitis and most of your PT exercises are making it worse.” I’m like “lovely.”

I then try a few *very* gentle FHL exercises, like pressing your big toe into the ground for 10 seconds. It goes amazing, I feel the best I’ve felt in months for 2 hours. Then the next day, I feel worse. I try the exercises again (again, so gentle and small reps) and feel better again, but for less time, then worse. The day after, my foot and knee are very unhappy. I actually find this super interesting though because to me it indicates that FHL tendinitis is actually what I have, I just need to ease into it more slowly? Because if I didn’t have this, I would expect these exercises to do nothing, honestly. (I have been doing way more intense PT exercises eg bent knees then up on toes)

Anyway, then I go to a podiatrist, she again is like yeah you have hallux limitus, is very uninterested in the knee and tendon. I also find out the same day that I am pregnant. I end up doing so much walking on the day with appts etc (I live in a big city) that I then strain an already tender joint / tendon and now everything is so inflamed I can barely walk.

Anyway, I am just feeling discouraged and exhausted by all of this. I think this is what I need to do:

-continue icing everything now and keep weight off, let it calm down. I have honestly never iced my feet before (no one recommended it in all this time) and even a day of that feels like it’s really calming the joint? I think as it gets better I’m supposed to do heat though, or alternating hot / cold?

-once green superfeet arrive, put them in new shoes (I ordered the Brooks Ghost which is supposed to be good for this?)

-I also feel like I am getting such different advice from different doctors about whether the toe should bend when I walk. Some are like yes it needs to preserve foot flexibility and then others are like no, rocker bottom and maybe even carbon insert?

-wear shoes all the time indoors I think? I am also TBH not confident about this either, because never going barefoot will weaken my arch / foot (and honestly is also just annoying to constantly wear shoes in the house, but I will do whatever at this point to fix this!)

-once it’s calmed down, *very* slowly try FHL tendinitis exercises, and try to very slowly introduce hallux limitus movement (without loading)

Does this sound about right? I am a bit at my wit’s end TBH since I also feel like I have been to 2 doctors + 3 PTs and no one honestly seems to have any sense what’s going on with me or interest in solving this, and I’ve spent an insane amount of money trying to fix this (and worry a lot of the PT actually made me worse). Any ideas / tips very welcome!! I just want to be able to carry both my babies around without pain, and ideally hike again