Love Walking, But Bad Foot Pain! Sesamoiditis!

RNY 11/2/2010

Hi all,

I've been walking 3-4 miles just about every day this summer and loving it!!! I woke up yesterday with sharp pain in the ball of my right foot.  All day yesterday there was a constant throbbing and sharp stabbing pain whenever I walked or touched certain spots of the inflamed area. Massaging, stretching, a hot bath helped a little, but not much. It was even worse when I woke up today. 

I was lucky to get an appointment with a podiatrist early this morning. She diagnosed it as sesamoiditis, inflammation of the sesamoids, two small bones just below the big toe joint, along with the surrounding tendons. She noted that I have very high arches and this caused pressure on the ball of the foot, and inflammation. This happened even though I stretched well before and after my walks, often walked on a cushioned track, and wore good New Balance walking shoes.

The podiatrist gave me a cortisone injection and fitted me with orthotics ($65, but much better than the kind you can get at the pharmacy). Now several hours later, the foot is still a bit sore when I walk, but it's getting better by the hour. 😊  I need to rest the feet for at least 2-3 more days, and then I should be able to get back to my "normal" walking routine with orthotics in place. 😀

Lesson learned: if you want to do a LOT of walking or running as part of your weight loss program, AND IF YOU HAVE VERY HIGH ARCHES, be sure to wear good shoes, stretch the calves, ankles, and feet a LOT, and get fitted with a good pair of orthotics from a podiatrist or other reliable source. 

I'm so sorry.  There's nothing worse than being in the zone with working out and then be sidetracked by injury.  I hope you feel better soon :)

Thanks a lot. Feeling much better already. Should be able to go for a long walk again on Saturday or Sunday. 

I strongly support this message. Actually, go see a podiatrist if you plan to start walking/running even if you have low arches or don't know what kind of feet you have. And if your feet start hurting, go see a podiatrist immediately.

Last summer as I was trying to keep my weight under control pre-op I started walking 3-5 miles a day. I developed severe pain at the outside of the balls of my feet but was afraid to go to a podiatrist because I was afraid all I would get is "Well your feet hurt because you're overweight." I think obese people get that so much at the doctor that it discourages them going. The response is always "Well duh, but I need some immediate help here." I went to a rheumetologist who diagnosed it as hammer toes (I do have hammer toes). He sent me to a physical therapist, who diagnosed it as a biomechanical stride problem due to very flat feet (I do have a stride problem too). The physical therapist finally convinced me to go to a podiatrist for orthotics. This is now 8 months of pain so badly I could barely walk some days.

I went to the podiatrist, who took one look at my feet and told me they were plantar warts caused from the way I walked putting excessive pressure on the outside of my feet, allowing the warts to take hold. It turned out to not be caused by either hammer toes or a stride problem. He took them off and two days later my feet didn't hurt. They haven't hurt since. I felt supremely stupid for not seeing a podiatrist in the first place. He told me I only needed orthotics if they recurred, and, knock on wood, it's been 5 months and they have not. I'm back to walking several miles a day. 

Great message, somestorm. Thank you. I'm glad the podiatrist figured out so quickly what was wrong and that you've been relieved of pain. I never before realized how much we depend on our feet, and what a drag it us when they're not working well.