# How did I hurt my foot? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 25, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-hurt-my-foot/515095 "2009-10-25T21:25:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-hurt-my-foot/515095/1 "2009-10-25T21:25:21Z")
(Yes I know you’re not my doctor nor am I soliciting medical advice, etc. etc… ) So I was sitting on my couch [cross-legged](http://www.stockphotography.co.uk/Upload/Stock/Watermarked/11401.jpg) for most of the day a few days ago while doing a bunch of work and now my left foot hurts whenever I walk on it. It only hurts when I put weight on the whole foot or specifically when the front-outside-quadrant (the corner with the small toe) of my foot makes contact with the floor (I can walk on my heel fine and feel no pain). My foot also hurts if you put pressure on top, basically in the middle of my foot if you were to go straight down from the toe next to the small toe (are toes considered pinkies too?). Any ideas? How long am I going to remain gimpy? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-hurt-my-foot/515095/2 "2009-10-25T21:47:47Z")
> [@BrandonR](#): > > So I was sitting on my couch [cross-legged](http://www.stockphotography.co.uk/Upload/Stock/Watermarked/11401.jpg) for most of the day a few days ago while doing a bunch of work and now my left foot hurts Are you certain about the cause & effect scenario? You could be having a gout flare up in one of your toe joints and the fact that it started after the leg crossing could just be a coincidence. For the record, I truly hope you don’t have gout. It sucks big time!!! ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-hurt-my-foot/515095/3 "2009-10-25T21:51:51Z")
Well I’ve never had this kind of foot pain before and it started the day after I was sitting on my foot, bending it in a somewhat peculiar way for several hours… It seems to be caused by that. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2009, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-hurt-my-foot/515095/4 "2009-10-25T22:03:11Z")
Maybe nine years ago I suffered from some serious foot pain brought on by very little, (similar to the OP) I went to the doctor and had it x-rayed. Turned out I had a stress fracture in said foot. I could trace it to bad genetics - my father’s feet arch too much, putting weird stresses on bones that aren’t equipped to handle them. My feet are the same. My father has worn prosthetic arch supports his whole life; mine aren’t quite so bad. After the one stress fracture healed I’ve been mostly OK. When I get a pair of bad shoes that make my feet hurt, I replace them quickly. So see a doc, I guess. Mine wasn’t terribly helpful - “I could put a cast on it if you want, but it won’t do much.” “What about the pain?” _shrug_, “Try Tylenol” For what it’s worth, I have had a lot of luck with OTC arch supports - they seem to redistribute the force so my wacky feet don’t hurt much. I don’t use them often anymore, just when I get a bad pair of shoes. Doctoring up couldn’t hurt, go for it (if you have the insurance to support it, of course) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-hurt-my-foot/515095/5 "2009-10-26T14:43:06Z")
I have trouble with the outside joint of my little toes - they can get quite painful sometimes. I saw the podiatrist for this and he described me as having “tailor’s bunion” (or “bunionette”), which is thought to at least sometimes be aggravated by sitting in just the position you describe. In fact it’s so-named because tailors often sit in that position. > **[Tailor's bunion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailor%27s_bunion)** > > Tailor's bunion, also known as digitus quintus varus or bunionette, is a condition caused as a result of inflammation of the fifth metatarsal bone at the base of the little toe. > It is usually characterized by inflammation, pain and redness of the little toe. > Often a tailor's bunion is caused by a faulty mechanical structure of the foot. The fifth metatarsal bone starts to protrude outward, while the little toe moves inward. This change in alignment creates an enlargement on the outside of the f... In my case it’s probably just genetics (my mother had horrible foot problems all her life). In your case perhaps you had a tendency to pain in that area anyway and sitting like that aggravated it. I have a bit less trouble with it now (it was pretty bad for a while), after using NSAIDs for a bit, getting new orthotics, and also the podiatrist did a couple of ultrasound treatments on the areas. ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-hurt-my-foot/515095/6 "2009-10-26T18:36:19Z")
Hmm the stress fracture theories sound plausible since they specifically mention pain/tenderness on top of the foot, and I definitely have that… I’ve now been reduced to clumsily hopping and using crutches. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-hurt-my-foot/515095/7 "2009-10-26T19:45:54Z")
I had the same sort of pain this weekend after sitting like that for a while. Luckily, it only lasted about six hours so I just must have pinched a nerve or something. Hurt like hell for that time though so you have my sympathy, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![maladroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@maladroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maladroit)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-i-hurt-my-foot/515095/8 "2009-10-26T19:51:54Z")
This seems like a good place to point out that water-filled coke bottles make fantastic ice packs, especially for feet, due to their nice curvy shape. Slip one inside a sock and roll it under your foot. (I use them behind my neck a lot for cooling down hot flashes)