I had to ask this. Did or does anyone have a Metatarsal foot problem? For the past week or so I've been down this road, I've been applying ice packs, taking pain killers ( drugs ) which I'm totally against to begin with and have finally broke down and seen a doctor. I find that doctors know less about life than most anyone except for politicians which know very little about our lives to begin with.
Anyway, my 2nd lower toe on my left foot is swollen and the underneth of my foot is very sensitive which relates to Metatarsalgia. The doctors says its from shoes or whatever activity they know of like running, jumping as some atheletes sometimes get this, well I can assure you this hasn't anything to do with me. I believe its from the clutch pedal on my Scion which I will be changing shortly to a new pedal assembly. Anyone have any logical answers which can be given in relation to what they have done to relieve this kind of pain when they were down this road outside of getting Cortizone shots?
What do ya know that I don't?
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
YOURE OLD....but you know that.....i think. change style of shoes....get a pair of sandles....dont wear socks....let youre feet breath....i dont have many feet problems except for sandspurs....i step on and get em in my feet. my toes are a little numb....but i give livin where frostbite well destroy the feeling in your toes.....
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Joey, did they X-Ray to rule out any fractures? The swollen toe makes me a little suspect.
I wonder if your pain has more to do with all the recent pinstriping work on your Scion, rather than the clutch pedal inside of it. If you're leaning forward while striping for extended periods of time, you may have unconsciously shifted your weight to your toes which could eventually cause tiny fractures - similar to those that runners and soccer players get. I've had 'em too and the remedy was just rest to let 'em heal.
Posted by Jackson Smart (Member # 187) on :
Joey.....Look into "Gout". Sounds similar.
I take concentrated black cherry juice. It is a build-up of Uric Acid in your system. It usually settles into a joint on your feet.
Just a guess?
Jackson
Posted by Dana Stanley (Member # 6786) on :
When I was a kid I had a problem with my left foot. My mother stopped good and hard on my right foot , and I forgot all about the problem with the left foot. AH mom always knew what to do.
Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
Well I'm happy that none of you are doctors for what I have is a Metatarsal foot problems with the 4th ball of my foot is in pain and in relation to the metatarsal bones as all sytems point to this. Sorry Jackson but my PH level always remains higher in Alkaline than Acid as I've watched this closely for a long time through my diet. Guess I'll just have to get a pair of RX Crocs to see if it will help for now cause I got alot of vehicles coming my way and this sort of interferes with my work habits.
Thank you Mike for bringing the Scion up because all my problems stemmed from that point on.
Posted by Santo (Member # 411) on :
How much ladder time are you doing?
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Joey, I had problems like that with my right foot many years ago. At times it was OK, and at times, when driving, it felt like it was on fire- under the ball of the foot. The doctor was useless. The foot specialist x-rayed it, and said nothing was wrong, therefore he could not fix it. I put up with it for about a year, somehow.
I then attended a three-day muscle manipulation clinic or school of a sort, and was happy to be the guinea-pig when the instructor needed someone to do a demonstration on. When he got to my feet, he explained how the toes are attached via tendons that run up along the top of the foot, under the ligaments at the ankle, and up the shins to the muscles in the calf, and that sometimes, the tendons, instead of lying in the cords or grooves they belong in, get out andsit in the wrng place, and the discomfort you get is not clear, but it is there. Anyhow, he started to manipulate the tendons under the ligaments at the ankle, and down the top of the foot to each toe, and there was a click, or a very audible sort of snap, and he explained that two tendons were actually crossed over & back under again, and he'd now freed them back to where they should be. Everyone watching could see it clearly. I couldn't see it, but I could feel it click.
Ever since then I have never had that pain in the foot again. What caused it originally, I don't know.
[ June 11, 2007, 09:44 AM: Message edited by: Ian Stewart-Koster ]
Posted by Sandy Baird (Member # 4773) on :
Joey my girlfriend is a chiropodist(foot specialist). I read her your message and this is what she had to say.
You have one on 3 problems affecting your 4th metatarsal phalangeal joint.
The MD was correct in telling you that it could be related to footwear or decreased shock absorption.
1) If your footwear is to narrow sometimes it will push the toes (metatarsals) together, putting pressure on small sacks filled with fluids called bursa's (Bursitis). These sacks will become inflamed and can be very painful. This type of problem is sometimes also associated with a shooting pain on the top of your foot.
2) As we age the fat on the bottoms of our feet becomes thinner, this fat acts as a shock absorber. When the fat pad decreases the result is you are effectively walking on your bones (poor shock absorbers).
3) The third and final suggestion is you may be walking on the side of your foot. This could be a result of hind foot varus or some other biomechanical problem, that will need to be corrected with orthotics. The reason this has occurred now may be as a result if increased activity, weight gain or loss or various other life changes.
Recommendation: If you haven't seen a foot specialist see one ASAP.
Make sure your foot size hasn't changed - contrary to popular beliefs your feet will increase in size over time. Try standing on a sheet of tracing paper and have someone trace your feet WHILE YOU ARE STANDING, then compare your shoe shape and size to your foot shape and size. Try purchasing JOGGING shoes, reputable names such as New Balance, Asic, Avia are good choices. You will need to be fitted at a reputable store. Ask for a JOGGING shoe with forefoot shock absorption and have them assess your feet for pronation (usually associated with flat feet) or supination (usually associated with highly arch feet) do not purchase othotics from the store they are usually over-priced and not very good.
"All medical advice received on the Internet should be taken with 2 grains of salt and call me in the morning."
The above advice was give by a retired certified foot specialist and was only give as a favour because we want to keep all you talented sign people up on your feet and healthy.
If you have any further questions please Email me and I will pass them along to the official foot specialist of the letterhead nation.
Posted by Dusty Campbell (Member # 4601) on :
I've always noticed when I'm in a new vehicle there seems to be an adjustment period here I get various aches and pains which I attribute to the different position I'm sitting, holding the wheel, using the pedals etc. Mostly my shoulders and legs, but sometimes my back and feet especially when going from automatic to manual.
My legs and feet will hurt when I'm in a new pair of shoes too. Just adjustment pains I'd guess if you're anything like me, but you're smart to have it checked out all the same. (I agree with you that doctors are clueless much of the time though. I wish they knew their patients and used common sense rather than relying on tests and coming up with crazy theories. Absolutely no offense intended to Sandy's girlfriend -like I said you're smart to have it checked.)
Feel better Joey.
Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
Thank you everyone. I've done alot of research myself for this problem on the internet as well as what you have typed in here. The internet has all this information and if I were to take it with 2 grains of salt I would have to add Sandy's reply as well as it all matches. I do have good shoes, all 30 pairs of SAS, Allen Edmonds, Clarks and Rockports. I still believe the problem started from the clutch pedal on the Scion in which a new and bigger pedal assembly is on its way.
I just ordered a pair of Relief Crocs which was recommended to me from Steve Kafka way before my problem started. http://www.crocs.com Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
Joey - a lot of good advice and suggestions here...especially from the specialists.
I can tell you this;
I had the bottom ball(s) of both feet hurt like a mother recently....and I figured it began as a result of me trying to clean the mud from the treads of my sneakers by stomping my feet very hard on my cement driveway.....that is when, a day later, the balls of my feet became so painful and sensitive to the touch that I could barely walk or put pressure on them.
I just took some advil and walked on the outside of my feet very gingerly for about a week and a half and the pain/symptoms disappeared.
I've also had this happen in milder form after squating with my feet bent and all pressure on the balls of my feet applying graphics to the side of a vehicle for instance....but basically the same cause: a lot pressure and weight or impact upon the balls of the feet.
Very likely that either you clutch your vehicle with the pressure point of the clutch on the ball of your foot and/or squatting with a lot of weight for extended periods of time on the balls of your feet perhaps pinstriping.
If you think about it....most people use the ball area of the feet to push the clutch in.....that's where you get the best force and tactile feeling of confidence in clutching. So, I think your instincts on the cause is correct.
My guess is that's the cause with the mechanics and treatment recommendations of Sandy Bairds girlfriend foot specialist being the way to proceed from here.
Good luck with that! You don't think much about your feet till you can't use them...
[ June 11, 2007, 10:40 PM: Message edited by: Todd Gill ]
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Todd....a good long soak in Rapid Tac should help you get over the soreness!
Posted by Len Mort (Member # 7030) on :
{What do ya know that I don't?} From what you tell us, not much. I would suggest following Si's recomendation. Soaking in Rapid Tack!
Posted by Dick Bohrer (Member # 905) on :
Joey- Crocs are the way to go man. You might take some teas'n if you buy a fruity color but they are the best. I have bone spurs and standing on the concrete was killing me. Bought a pair of Crocs and the pain went away. I need to get a pair without the holes, because the snow gets in, in the winter, but I love them. I did catch grief from some of the tough guys in town, but the bright blue is now covered with paint drips and overspray. Try em you'll like em.
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
i was tellin joey....as he was tellin me to get a pair of them ugly shoes....that FOR ME i cant put any MAN MADE MATERIALS on my feet. everytime i try a pair of shoes/sneekers/closed in shoes, within a week of wearin em.....YOU CANT BE IN THE SAME ROOM AS ME WHEN I TAKE THEM OFF.....smells like dead fish left in a GYM BAG!!!!!! I only can wear LEATHER OR CANVAS shoes....with these i have ZERO FOOT ODOUR!!!!!!!
Posted by Dick Bohrer (Member # 905) on :
You can get Crocs that nurses wear with the anti-microbal plastic- or just throw em in the dishwasher every nite, hell they're just like tupperware without the burp!
Posted by Deb Fowler (Member # 1039) on :
Joey, Don't forget to hire a cute reflexologist in your area! you know it can't hurt; you may have seen a foot chart of all the nerve ending points in your feet or the hands. At least maybe you can correct some areas, maybe some others at the same time. Good luck
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
OP, Crocs are great for smelly feet.
You might also want to soak your feet in tea for a bit because the tannin in the tea does wonders to kill the odor. In fact it's probably the tannin in the leather (tanned hide, eh?) that's doing the trick for you now.
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
mike...AS LONG AS I WEAR LETHER SHOES....I HAVE NO PROBLEMS!!! its the man made crap that doesnt breath!!!!!!! and i dont want to put my SHOES IN WITH MY DISHES!!!!!YUK!!!! i just know better then to put anything on my feet that is NOT LEATHER....62 yrs of tryin other stuff....i know this works.
Posted by Donald Miner (Member # 6472) on :
In all responses to this post, I have not seen the words, Metatarsal Arch Supports. You should be able to get them at an orthopedic shoe specialist. I had this problem in my teens, when I worked at a shoe repair shop that specialized in orthopedic shoes. A leather insole with the metatarsal support attached, did wonders for my feet. I very seldom get any problems now, but when I do, out comes the supports. Some really good shoes come with these supports built in. A bit pricy, I may add, but well worth the money. Been There Done That.
http://www.crocs.com
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