pain in instep of foot

by Mel
(England)

2 weeks ago I cut my sole on what looked like a piece of dry spaghetti on the kitchen floor. At the time, it bled and eventually stopped and there is just a mark there now. The problem is that since that night I keep getting a sting-like pain in my foot. It is not in the same area but down and to the right a bit. I can walk on it but now and again it is like I press on it to walk and it feels like walking on a piece of glass. This is distressing as I never know when it will happen.

I also have units in the kitchen and when I walk round the corner of them it happens as my foot turns. I went to A & E when it happened just to rule out stepping on glass and it still being in the foot (spaghetti was all I could find on the floor so assumed it was that but it may not have been)and after several x-rays they cannot find anything and it does not hurt on being touched or manipulated only on walking.

Then went to Doctors and, again, cos it did not hurt on being examined he said to just rest it despite my saying it keeps hurting when I walk so now I feel I am left like this for the rest of my life! I am skint so cannot afford to see a podiatrist and assume I am going to have to keep going to the doctors until they refer me to someone but who would it be? Any idea why a cut has now led to this situation?

RESPONSE
Hi Mel,
With a history of stepping on something while barefoot, one can assume there is still some foreign body in your foot. Keep in mind just because you found spaghetti on the floor, does not mean that you have a piece of spaghetti in your foot, although that is certainly is a possibility. You would be surprised as to what I have removed from a foot over the years.
Anyway, is the painful area red or swollen? Usually if there is still a foreign object in your foot there will be some degree of inflammation. Not necessarily an infection, but what the body does in most cases is to attempt to "wall" off or isolate the foreign object. This is known as a granuloma and will form a small lump which will result in the foot being mildly swollen in that area and perhaps a little red as well.
X-rays for foreign bodies is basically useless. If the object does not contain metal it becomes very difficult to see the foreign body.
An ultrasound is much more diagnostic in finding objects, but with limited funds, I do not know if you will qualify for that type of service.
You have to decide how painful this condition is. If it is more annoying than anything else and the area is not infected, then you may want to consider living with the problem. I offer this option because sometimes trying to remove a small foreign body is like "looking for a needle in a haystack" and thus is very difficult.
I have seen instances where the foreign body actually moves somewhat meaning that at times it will be very noticeable while at other times you will not feel it at all, only to have the symptoms return at a later date.
There is also the possibility that the object will come to the surface, a bit more, and will make it easier to remove.
As you point out, you would stand a better chance of solving this problem if you could see a foot specialist. This problem is not a strong suite for most general doctors.

Marc Mitnick DPM
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