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

sharp pain in the bottom of my right foot

by Amy
(Knoxville TN)

I am pointing to where the sharp pain is coming fom

sharp pain on bottom of foot

This shows the swelling on the right foot

I was walking and heard a pop and then felt a sharp pain in the top part of the bottom of my foot. Now it shots pains under the second toe. It is very swollen on the part of the foot that is under the toes and the sharp pain comes from right in the middle of that portion of the foot. It hurts/throbs all the time but the shooting pains only occur if I put pressure on it or move my leg and foot to the side. I am not sure what I have done and wonder if you could help? thanks

RESPONSE

Hi Amy,

This could be any of a number of things. In general a "pop" is suggestive of a tendon tear and there is certainly a tendon in that part of the foot. That would account for the pain traveling into the second toe because the tend travels in that area.
One must also consider the possibility of a stress fracture in that area as well as a tear of the plantar fascial ligament where it attaches into the ball of the foot.
Both of those conditions would generally not cause pain going forward into the second toe itself.
The thing that concerns me the most is how swollen the foot is; it seems to be way out of proportion to the type of injury sustained.
The bottom line here is that if a few days has passed and you are still having significant pain, then you need to see a doctor to determine exactly what you did to yourself.
Should you see a doctor I would bypass an x-ray and insist on an MRI instead as an MRI will show any soft tissue tear you might have causes plus it will also show a fracture should that be the case.
An x-ray on the other hand will only show a fracture and will not demonstrate any soft tissue pathology other than the fact you will be able to see the swelling that is going on in your right foot.
I think due to the amount of pain you are experiencing and the amount of swelling visible in the picture, you would be wise to seek medical attention.

Marc Mitnick DPM
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location unknown

sharp pain in the bottom of my right foot

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