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The response to the question below was authored by Marc Mitnick DPM

foot/ankle pain and numbness and swelling and lower back pain

5 months ago i noticed the top of my right foot was swollen it is in the middle and the top near my ankle when it would get rubbed against something or touched it would go tingly all the way up to my two first toes. then it started to hurt when touched and i noticed the pain was coming from the very top of my foot/ ankle there is a little almost round feeling bone right there that hurts the worst. Now it is hurting all the time when i want crinkle my toes move my ankle anything and is still going numb when touched as well as sometimes when i move my foot. Around the same time that the pain started in my foot i also started getting pain in the right side of my lower back in the last month the pain in both my foot and back has escalated from a 3 on a 1- 10 scale to a 8. about 1 month and a half ago i went to the doctor had blood work done and everything came back ok and i had an xray on my foot and they saw nothing wrong. something is wrong and it is getting worse! please help me.

RESPONSE

Hi,

Read my section on "midtarsal fault" and see if that discussion sounds like your problem.
The tingling and numbness you are getting on top of your foot indicates an irritation to one of the superficial nerves that travels down the top of your foot. This nerve lies directly underneath the skin and is easily irritated. Typically you will

get numbness on top of the foot with a tingling sensation down to the first and second toes. This is typical of the path of the nerve.
The reason the top of the foot is swollen is due to one of two possible reasons. You may have a bone spur which is growing upward and causing the swelling on top of the foot.
There is also the possibility of either a ganglion cyst or even an irritation and swelling of the tendon that passes down to the toes on the top of the foot. If the swelling feels "spongy" than it may be a cyst.
This problem generally occurs as a result of a couple of issues.
If you happen to be flat footed, the bones in this area of the foot, which represents the highest part of the arch, will collapse as your foot flattens out. This creates a jamming effect between the two bones and this jamming creates bone spurring.
The other problem for many people is that they may have one or more pairs of shoes that are too tight in this area. The pressure of the shoe pressing down into the bone creates irritation and inflammation which will irritate the nerve, giving you the sensation that you describe. The shoe tightness will also aggravate the tendon in that area causing an irritation and thus swelling.
I would suggest you see a foot specialist in your area as they are the best at recognizing this scenario.
Most doctors who do not treat feet regularly would be clueless as to what this condition might be.

Marc Mitnick DPM
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ADDITIONAL REFERENCES

Mayo Clinic

Johns Hopkins Medicine

MedlinePlus

Arthritis Foundation

University of Rochester Medical Center

Harvard Health

Drugs.com

American Academy of Pediatrics

Penn State Medical Center

National Institutes of Health

Columbia University Department of Rehabilitation

ScienceDirect

Stanford Health Care

Illinois Bone and Joint Institute

Mount Sinai Hospital

Institute for Chronic Pain

University of Florida Health

American Family Physician

Cedars-Sinai

University of Maryland Medical Center

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Unknown location

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New Zealand

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Poland

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South Carolina

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anonymous

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Seattle, WA

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Evansville, IA

Dear Marc

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San Diego, CA

Dr. Mitnick, Just want to say thank you so very much for your quick response and very informative reply! After reading what you had to say, I called the doctor's office and was able to get in and see him the same day as my injury. Toe was x-rayed and luckily, it is not broken or fractured. Very badly bruised and will probably lose the toe nail. And although my toe and toe nail are still very black and blue and very sore, they ARE both starting to feel a little better. So again, thank you! I am so very happy that I came across your website. The service you provide is outstanding and immeasurable!

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Albany, NY

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Whichita, KS

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Boston, MA

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Colorado

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Colorado

Wonderful advice

by: Anonymous

This is the best site for foot problem info.

Thank you for this information. This description fits my pain and inflammation behind my 2nd toe perfectly.

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location unknown

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Canada

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Wisconsin

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North Carolina

Many Thanks Dr Marc!
Thank you for your response. It sounds like a good plan to me. He did not cut the wart out first ...

KG

location unknown

Thanks again doc for having this website and we STILL need qualified Podiatrists in beautiful sunny Tampa Bay (Bradenton) Florida.

Bessie Mae

Florida

Dear Dr. Mitnick, Thank you so very much for taking your time to answer my question. You have greatly relieved my anxiety related to the continual tingly I feel in my feet. I will share your response with my podiatrist next week. God bless you for having this question and answer page on your website! Most gratefully,

Lynne T.

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New Jersey

Thank you. you were more detailed than what others have told me they finally called from the last xrays and my son is now in a cast for 2 weeks he did have a fracture that was not noticeable.

a mom

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Lenoir, NC

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Bellevue, WA

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Jodi

location unknown

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