# Foot injury - advice? {It’s a blood clot} **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 27, 2022, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446 "2022-08-27T20:08:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/21 "2022-08-28T04:28:28Z")
OK, I’ve submerged my foot in the ice bath for 5 minutes twice. It hurts like hell. I’m going to take a break. Hopefully on Monday I can talk to a doctor 😕 It hurts so much : ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/22 "2022-08-28T05:01:29Z")
I am not a health practitioner of any kind, but common sense tells me 5 minutes were a problem we’d have an awful lot of permanently injured people walking around. I haven’t found the case I referred to above, but I think she put her leg in a bucket of ice for 8 hours or something extreme like that. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/23 "2022-08-28T06:45:15Z")
Based on my experience, it sounds a lot like gout - although 6 days is a long time for an attack. If so, you’re in luck. There are some very good drugs available, and since I started taking them two years ago I haven’t had a single attack. It’s a pity they don’t sell Arcoxia (Etoricoxib) in the U.S. That stuff is magic for the symptoms. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/24 "2022-08-28T06:50:26Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > Strasbourg sock > > is basically a sock with a grabby thing attached to the toe? Not sure that would help me (I’d prefer a masseuse that could punch me repeatedly in the calf wearing boxing gloves) but I’m interested. The idea is to stretch the achilles tendon? Well, it won’t help if it’s gout. The idea isn’t so much to stretch the Achilles tendon as to prevent it from tightening up as you sleep. I have found it nearly miraculous when i had plantar fasciitis. Doctors had recommended a (hard) brace that served the same function, but that gave me all manner of trouble, including numbness that seemed like it might progress to nerve damage. The sock was recommended by a social acquaintance who happened to be a physical therapist. I do hope you can see a doctor to get a diagnosis soon! ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/25 "2022-08-28T07:04:12Z")
I recommend that you set an appointment for a rheumatologist right now - those guys can have some serious waiting times. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/26 "2022-08-28T11:52:11Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Hmm. I’ve had a neuroma, and plantar fasciitis. The first was very localized. The second was all over. I took a marker and drew on my foot all the places that felt like they were on fire. While the OP hasn’t mentioned (I don’t think) the pain being difficult to locate, I was going to suggest the same thing. I remember my mom’s doctor once asking her to use a permanent marker to mark the location of the pain as best she could over the course of a few days to give the doc a better idea of where to focus his attention. Also, and I have zero idea if this would help (or maybe even hurt) the OP, but she also had a foot issue where the doctor mentioned that whenever possible, or at least whenever standing/walking, she should keep her shoes on. Keeping them on helped to keep her foot from splaying when there was weight on it. I don’t know if it was supposed to help heal anything, but it at least reduced the pain. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/27 "2022-08-28T12:19:35Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > While the OP hasn’t mentioned (I don’t think) the pain being difficult to locate, I was going to suggest the same thing. I remember my mom’s doctor once asking her to use a permanent marker to mark the location of the pain as best she could over the course of a few days to give the doc a better idea of where to focus his attention. The thing about these problems is that they tend to radiate. Your foot hurts, so you tend to walk with a limp and hold it in a strange position when you’re sitting, and doing _that_ makes other parts of the foot hurt, so you find yourself in a situation where the original pain is just one part of an array of aches. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/28 "2022-08-28T14:03:46Z")
In addition to location, describing the _type_ of pain is important. If it’s a dull ache, that’s typically a sign of an inflammatory disorder of muscles, tendons, ligaments or joint capsules (e.g. plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, gout, etc.) and often self-limiting with the help of RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) and NSAIDS. If the pain is sharp and shooting in nature, that’s typically a sign of nerve involvement (e.g. tarsal tunnel syndrom, Mortons neuroma, etc.). Conservative treatments (including corticosteroid injections) should be tried first and often resolve the problem, but surgical intervention is sometimes needed. Of course a definitive diagnosis is needed for a more focused treatment plan. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/29 "2022-08-28T14:48:08Z")
While i agree with the value of documenting the type of pain, I’d just like to say that my Morton’s neuroma manifested as feeling like i had a rock in my shoe, and has been effectively treated by adding a specially designed bump inside my shoe to spread the bones a bit. (Shades of homeopathy.) Whereas my plantar fasciitis manifested as pain that felt like bands of fire, and shooting pains. It wasn’t anything like “dull”. And it required fairly active treatment to resolve. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/30 "2022-08-28T14:56:10Z")
My policy is not to try to give precise Internet advice when causes are numerous. I didn’t mention even mention bones and stress fractures, foreign bodies, infection and psychosomatic things since the XRay was purportedly normal (if true, this does not rule out stress fracture). But the treatment of soft tissue causes has been stated above - time, cold, rest with graduated return to activity, effective medication. Many other questions would be useful and your doctor should ask them if things have not significantly improved in a few weeks. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/31 "2022-08-28T15:06:27Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > The idea isn’t so much to stretch the Achilles tendon as to prevent it from tightening up as you sleep. This is the key point. The problem is caused by tight Achilles tendon. Often the first step out of bed in the morning creates the problem. If the tendon is tight then stepping down on one foot to get out of bed can be the onset of a problem. While balancing on that foot, turning and twisting the ankle to bring the other leg and foot off the bed and down to the floor can harm a tight tendon. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/32 "2022-08-28T15:18:42Z")
Mortons neuroma often does feel like a rock in the shoe, but in most cases also involves shooting pain or numbness (also nerve) of the involved toes (typically 3rd and 4th). They sometimes grow to the size of a grape and you can feel the mass. A pad in your shoe (or on your foot) to spread the involved metatarsal bones takes pressure off the benign tumor and may be all that is needed to reduce or eliminate symptoms. The primary pain with plantar fasciitis is usually aching in nature (often severe) but surrounding nerves (medial calcaneal nerve, first branch of the lateral plantar nerve) are not uncommonly involved which may account for shooting pain. But, these are just general rules and you should never rely on self-diagnosis if pain persists. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/33 "2022-08-28T16:11:27Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > Mortons neuroma often does feel like a rock in the shoe, but in most cases also involves shooting pain or numbness (also nerve) of the involved toes I did have numbness as well as pain. But no shooting pains. When i went to the podiatrist i felt like the clinic patients in _House_. The doctor was obviously bored, barely spoke to me, but instantly diagnosed the problem and stuck a lump of hard felt into me insole, and told me where to buy more. And it worked. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/34 "2022-08-28T16:54:14Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Often the first step out of bed in the morning creates the problem. If the tendon is tight then stepping down on one foot to get out of bed can be the onset of a problem. While balancing on that foot, turning and twisting the ankle to bring the other leg and foot off the bed and down to the floor can harm a tight tendon. So wow, (OP here) I _just now_ got out of bed. It took me a while. My right calf, the calf that had been doing nothing for 8 hours of sleep, is so tight that I can’t walk on it. It took me three tries (each try I gave up for a bit and lay in bed, for maybe 30 minutes) to grab my pants from the floor and pull them on and walk to my desk 10 feet away. So here I am and my right foot is kinda sore, but my right _calf_ is on fire! which is nuts to me, that muscle hasn’t been doing anything for hours and hours. Now I’m in front of the computer and my calf hurts, my foot sorta kinda hurts I guess and I can’t really walk. I’m going to work up my courage to ice in a bit ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/35 "2022-08-28T16:56:02Z")
nm discourse ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/36 "2022-08-28T17:05:19Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > In addition to location, describing the _type_ of pain is important. If it’s a dull ache, that’s typically a sign of an inflammatory disorder of muscles, tendons, ligaments or joint capsules (e.g. plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, gout, etc.) and often self-limiting with the help of RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) and NSAIDS. This is a good question. The pain is not sharp but it is constant. If I use my foot, the constant pain becomes (IMO very) intense but doesn’t differ in quality. It is a constant dull (at times intense!) ache from the area of my ankle ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/37 "2022-08-28T17:08:30Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > I vote for busted. Something in the foot can be broken without showing up on X-ray. I’ve had a big pot fall off a counter onto my right foot, likely breaking a couple of metatarsals. Podiatrist put the foot in a soft cast even though he could find no visual confirmation of a break. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/38 "2022-08-28T17:09:05Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > So here I am and my right foot is kinda sore, but my right _calf_ is on fire! You just spent a week moving and positioning your foot in a way your body isn’t used to. Of course your calf hurts. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/39 "2022-08-28T17:12:54Z")
You should appoint with a qualified physician. Unlikely without a history of trauma, but acute compartment syndrome and thrombophebitis should be ruled out. These can be serious problems. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2022, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446/40 "2022-08-28T17:38:38Z")
I second that you should see a doctor ASAP. Ideally a podiatrist or orthopedic, i think. But really, any doctor is better than what you are doing now. The odds are high that this isn’t life threatening, as in dying, but it’s destroying your quality of life every day, and there’s some risk that it needs to be treated sooner, not later. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foot-injury-advice-it-s-a-blood-clot/970446.md?page=3)