Pain in right foot.

by Sandra
(Phila., Pa.)

On Feb. 27 2014 I went to podiatrist for a toe nail issue on left foot. Upon exam doctor says I have bursitis in my right big toe. Doctor gave me an injection and since then I have pain in big toe top and bottom. I had no pain prior to the injection.

RESPONSE

Hi Sandra,

Did your doctor ever hear the saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"?

It amazes me how often people complain about doctors treating something that is not bothering the patient in the first place, only to then make the non-issue an issue.

The only exception to this would be a case where a doctor is examining an area of the body, in this case your feet and happens to notice something suspicious.

By suspicious I mean something either in the skin or a swelling or lump in the foot or ankle which is not normal. In these instances it is a doctor's responsibility to point it out to the patient and voice a concern why this "problem" should be further investigated. Believe me when I tell you this is rare but it does happen.

There is no such thing as the perfect human specimen. If we were to take an x-ray of your total body, or anyone else's for that matter, we could probably identify a number of abnormalities; but does that mean we treat them? No!

I see people all day long who have red spots on their feet or their toes, but when there is no complaint of pain the only thing I do is point it out and make suggestions on how they can reduce the swelling or redness and explain to them that those areas can further worsen and become painful.

I think that is what most doctors do.

So now you have a toe that formerly did not hurt but now is painful due to a treatment that you did not need or request.

Without the luxury of being able to examine you, I would guess the needle actually hit a structure in your toe and irritated it. That is why it hurts all the time. However, not knowing where he actually injected the needle I am hard pressed to explain why the toe hurts on the top and bottom.

Since a little more than a month has passed it is concerning that the toe is still hurting you. In most cases there is a gradual reduction in pain over the course of a few weeks until you reach the point where you wake up one day and realize you are no longer bothered by the pain any more.

You have a couple of options.

You could go back to this doctor and insist he rid you of the pain that he created with the understanding that you are not going to pay him for this service.

If you are not the confrontational type, then you could go to another podiatrist, someone unlike myself who can actually examine you and get a real second opinion. If you do that and you are offered another injection, I would shy away from that for the time being.

If neither of those options appeal to you, you might try icing the area on a regular basis in an effort to reduce the inflammation. Along with that you might want to try a round of anti-inflammatory medication such as Aleve (assuming you can tolerate this type of medication) and take about two weeks worth according to the instructions on the package. If you decide to try this you need to take it on a regular basis so that you maintain adequate blood levels of medication. Do not take it sporadically as you would for lets say, a headache.

This should go without saying, but avoid shoes that seem to aggravate the problem such as very dressy shoes.

If after two weeks of this regimen your toe does not feel any better then you may be forced to see another doctor.

Marc Mitnick DPM
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