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Free Medical Advice sponsored by
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Got an ache or pain? Have a question about a prescription or over-the-counter drug? Looking for some FREE medical advice?
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Question:
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| About a month ago I started to have a problem with my left foot. A soreness started up when I was doing more walking than usual daily, and then has been a bother since. I thought it would just go away of itself, a bruised muscle or slight sprain.. but the pain persists and every home remedy I try (soaking daily in hot water, new soft shoes, etc) doesn't seem to help. What is the most normal cause of persistent (nerve?) pain in the lower foot / heel area? What can one do?
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Answer:
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| Thank you for your inquiry This problem is likely to be an 'overuse' problem as you have identified for yourself, but having a doctor check the history and doing a a physical examination (and possibly but not inevitably an X-ray) of the foot would be recommended. If for example you had been walking long distances on hard surfaces with poor footwear you could even have a so-called "march" or stress fracture; more likely though you have a soft tissue injury which with rest and time and possibly restorative physiotherapy will get better on its own. Another possibility is that walking a lot has aggravated a so-called "heel spur'" which is a bony outgrowth on the bottom of the heel. This would definitely need an X-ray to confirm or exclude the diagnosis. But we must emphasize that trying to make a diagnosis like this without seeing you cannot approach accuracy. Hope this helps.
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