Feeling the Pinch!

Where the iPad landed.

Do you remember this picture from my recent post about pain? Here I've made a note of where the iPad actually made impact with my foot, and where most of the swelling occurred. Today, I saw a podiatrist and learned more about why, a year since the injury, I have even more foot pain.

I had seen my doctor, who ordered new x-rays, which showed a normal right foot with no indication of fracture or osteoarthritis.

x-rays taken while I was lying down (i.e., non-weight-bearing)

That's good news, but it didn't explain why it felt like my foot was breaking in half, so my doctor referred me to a podiatrist. He asked some questions, poked and prodded, then took some new x-rays, this time with me standing on my feet.

Forget "thigh gap" -- I want toe gap!

The x-ray confirmed his suspicions.

It doesn't look all that dramatic until you compare the right foot to the left foot. Apparently, there are nerves that run between each metatarsal. What can happen (even without any injury) is that the nerve can become inflamed. The joints then rub against the nerve, which further irritates it, causing even more inflammation, resulting in a "neuroma."

Between the injury last year and my long walks with Kane this winter, I had really irritated the nerve.

So today the doctor injected something to decrease the inflammation and prescribed orthotic shoe inserts to prevent a recurrence. In a few weeks, I should be able to walk without favouring the outer half of my right foot. Yippee!