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The response to the question below was authored by Marc Mitnick DPM
foot pain and a cold foot after trauma
I ran over the arch of my foot with my work trolley (fully loaded cleaning trolley) a few days ago, at first it didn't hurt v much, then it steadily got worse and it hurts a lot, it hurts when I wake up. I can still hobble around on it, then it hurts when I rest it initially. After a few hours the pain wears off until I walk on it again. It also get more painful in the evening although I am resting it. My foot was also freezing cold like an ice block the eve after I injured it and still feels very cold. The pain is across the middle of my foot running from my toes to my shin. I went to the doc who said it was bruised in between my little toes and told to use a heat pack, my foot also cracked hobbling out :/ The problem is that using a heat pack on my foot gives me incredible pain and it feels like someone is crushing my foot. Using a ice pack helps along with painkillers and elevation. I am unsure of how to treat my foot as I wish it to heal asap, could you give me some advice please
Many thanks
RESPONSEHi Julia,
I do not know how old you are or for that matter anything else about you but it would seem to me the trauma either caused nerve damage or even vascular damage to your foot and thus the feeling of extreme cold.
If the color of the foot appears the same as your other foot my first thought would be that the damage is neurological in nature. If however, the foot is either very pale or very reddish purple compared to the other foot, then I would be concerned about a vascular compromise to the foot.
In either case this is not a good situation. You need to have your foot examined by a doctor who actually knows what they are talking about. The bruise in between your toes is of little consequence as the trauma was to the mid portion of your foot. In addition, if there is vascular compromise then using a heating pad is about the worst advice you could be given.
The only real advice I can give you is that you will need to see a specialist, someone who is familiar with trauma and the workings of the foot. This doctor should then be able to determine if your cold foot is neurological or vascular in nature. Once the origin of the cold foot is determined, proper treatment can be initiated.
I would not recommend putting this off as they symptoms you describe could have some serious consequences if not appropriately treated.
Marc Mitnick DPM
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