# I have a really sore ball...... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 7, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-really-sore-ball/678088 "2014-01-07T01:29:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-really-sore-ball/678088/1 "2014-01-07T01:29:57Z")
… on my left foot. It is right on the ball and right in the middle; i.e. at the third (middle) toe. I did a lot of walking in flat boots over the holidays, and actually felt a twinge of pain a few days ago, but today it is almost unbearable. A slight amount of pressure on my foot actually feels OK, but no pressure or full pressure hurts like a son-of-a-bitch. I’m sure this is a common ailment, the way it came on and all, but don’t know what it’s called and what to expect. Any doctors or experts care to comment. (The regular disclaimers about not being my doctor apply.) ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-really-sore-ball/678088/2 "2014-01-07T01:57:48Z")
Could be a [March fracture](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_fracture). I had one; they are _extremely_ painful. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-really-sore-ball/678088/3 "2014-01-07T02:07:41Z")
> [@Cheez\_Whia](#): > > Could be a [March fracture](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_fracture). I had one; they are _extremely_ painful. Oh boy. I’m afraid you may be correct. > [@](#): > > The first line treatment should be reduction of movements for 6 to 12 weeks. I don’t think I can do that. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-really-sore-ball/678088/4 "2014-01-07T06:10:17Z")
Any other thoughts? Diagnoses? It’s bloody killing me. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-really-sore-ball/678088/5 "2014-01-07T07:50:15Z")
Have you seen a doctor yet? If not, you definitely should at this point. “Unbearable to walk on” is well past the realm of Internet armchair diagnoses. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-really-sore-ball/678088/6 "2014-01-07T11:23:04Z")
Oh God. It’s worse today. I can’t walk. I just emailed work and told them I couldn’t make it in. I have to see a doctor. I don’t even have Aspirin in the house. I can’t recall being in so much pain. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-really-sore-ball/678088/7 "2014-01-07T12:28:54Z")
My first episode of gout was awful. Gout/fracture are two good guesses. ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-really-sore-ball/678088/8 "2014-01-07T14:13:52Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Oh boy. I’m afraid you may be correct. > > I don’t think I can do that. FWIW, I worked on that foot for over a year in a retail management job, thinking that it would just get better. It didn’t; not until I quit prior to a move to another state and had some recliner time for a few weeks. I still have achy pain in that area sometimes; it’s probably arthritis. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-really-sore-ball/678088/9 "2014-01-07T14:46:27Z")
I had something similar after several long trips that required a lot of standing/walking - took close to 2 years to finally ‘heal’ - this past year of little/no travel helped a bunch. ---
**Author:** ![Clothilde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Clothilde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothilde)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2014, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-really-sore-ball/678088/10 "2014-01-07T16:02:00Z")
Not a doctor and admittedly just guessing…Morton’s neuroma? I’m sorry you’re hurting so badly. I hope you find out what it is soon so you can feel better. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-really-sore-ball/678088/11 "2014-01-08T07:29:41Z")
So hospital visit yesterday. X-rays taken. Blood work done. The doctor didn’t see anything on the X-rays, but the radiologist needs to look them over. The blood work will be looking for increased white blood cells, which could mean it’s an infection, and for elevated uric acid, which would point to gout. It’ll be a day or two for the results. In the mean time I’m on Celebrex, which is an anti-inflammatory painkiller. Still hurts like hell and I can’t sleep. I think this is perhaps only the third prescription medicine I’ve ever taken in my life. I now need to wait a week or so and go see my doctor, who I haven’t seen in like 12 years! Probably time for an appointment. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-a-really-sore-ball/678088/12 "2014-01-08T08:14:14Z")
Whatever it is, I hope you get some relief soon. My husband (a mail carrier) had plantar fasciitis that was so bad he ended up in a cast for 8 weeks last summer to fix it. Make sure you keep taking your anti-inflammatory if he prescribed it for long-term purposes and not just for pain relief. They don’t start really having an effect on serious inflammation until you’ve been taking them regularly for, IIRC, a couple weeks or so. MrWhatsit eventually ended up needing an MRI, for what that’s worth. X-rays aren’t much good for diagnosing soft-tissue problems, apparently.