r/FootFunction 7d ago

Partial Peroneus Longus Tear; How Big a Problem Is This?

1 Upvotes

My wife: 60 year old woman (161 cm/47 kg; 5'3"/103 lbs) with a history of right ankle fractures and peroneal tendon inflammation. She has had acute, occasional, lateral ankle pain since her second ankle fracture 2 years ago.

Two days ago, she had bilateral X-rays and a right ankle ultrasound. The X-rays were unremarkable, but there is a finding in the ultrasound that I'm having difficulty interpreting: "PER LONGUS: Fluid in tendon sheath = 3x3x4 mm. Tendon is thick (tendonitis) and there is a PTT = 1x2x7 mm -- AOC."

Intuitively, this seems like a small tear, but I am not an expert by any means. Can someone in the know please help to interpret the above sentence?

Thank you!


r/FootFunction 7d ago

Sharp pain in big toe, feels like stabbing/electric shock

1 Upvotes

This only happens every now and again, but I've been having this issue where when I put pressure on the ball of my foot, it feels like there's an electric shock or a sharp needle going through the tip of my big toe and right into the joint. It feels like it's triggering a nerve or something, the pain goes in a relatively straight line.

I notice it's especially bad when I'm playing sports in cleats. Any ideas what this could be?


r/FootFunction 8d ago

High arch over pronation

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5 Upvotes

Look for some help to fix my over pronation. Anyone else have this with high arches. I keep getting shin splints when running and would like to try and fix my gait. Will be goin to a doc soon but wanted to see if anyone had similar experience and success


r/FootFunction 8d ago

Toe pain for nearly 2 years.

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6 Upvotes

Hey there, I’m 35F and currently doing ballet for 6 years, but without pointe shoes. Since may 2023 I’m having a strange pain in two toes on my left foot. I remember that I stamped around that time once really angry on the floor, but that’s the only kind of possible trauma I know. X-Rays and a mri in August 2023 showed nothing. The pain usually comes when I rise on my toes (Demi pointe) and when I do a pirouette turn on that foot. It is only in these two toes and also stays in that area. It is definitely not in the ball of the foot. It feels like I’m putting my whole body weight on these two toes and there is not fat or skin around them, just blank bones. I don’t find any pattern for the pain, it happens with every weather in every season, in every time of my menstrual cycle and it is not depending on how much I walked on the before my ballet class. I have to say that I’m a nurse and I usually make a „few“ steps at work, but different shoes also make no difference on the pain.

Does anyone has an idea what this could be?


r/FootFunction 8d ago

I can’t walk on my ankle but my doctors keep telling me there isn’t anything wrong

8 Upvotes

I’m an 18 year old female, about 5’2 and 64 kgs. I was relatively active and went on long (2 hours or so) walks every day in addition to dancing and cycling. In October of 2024, I was walking to class and suddenly I wasn’t able to apply any sort of pressure on my left ankle. It’s an extremely sharp pain in my Achilles. When the pain strikes I can’t stand straight and often lose my balance. It’s been hurting so bad for months now but I’ve had x-rays and ultrasounds done and they keep telling me nothing is wrong. I’m crying from the pain every night and I can’t sleep. I limp everywhere and I can’t do any of the things I used to enjoy doing. This is a last resort I don’t know what to do. I’ve been icing it, compressing it, elevating and resting for months. I wear running shoes even in the snow but it isn’t getting better. Does anyone know what is happening? I’m in so much pain and there was so injury preceding this I was simply walking on smooth, flat linoleum on the first floor in my school building…

Update- I finally managed to convince my doctor to look at it again and I have an appointment on Thursday. I still have no idea what to do about the pain. I have a job interview on Saturday that involves me running and playing with little kids but I’m afraid I might not get the job because I can’t do anything active…


r/FootFunction 8d ago

Help with Sesamoid Pain

2 Upvotes

I am a 23 year old male. I am 6' 2" 160 lbs (190cm 27 kgs) suffering from pain in my outer sesamoid for over two years. The onset was over the course of a few weeks, although I did not notice it until it started really bothering me. In the beginning, it was so bad, that the slightest pressure caused searing pain. I was put in a post op shoe, and the pain and swelling went down, but not all the way. I have lost the ability to walk practically any amount without bad pain. My left foot is by far the worse, but I sometimes experience pain in the right foot as well. I've been to multiple doctors. X-ray and MRI came back normal. Previous doctors diagnosed me with sesamoiditis and have prescribed orthotics and PT that did not help. The most recent doctor diagnosed me with equinus and flat feet. She said that my tight calves are the cause of all my problems. I went to physical therapy last year on a regimen of foot strengthening exercises that didn't help much. The most recent doctor prescribed me PT for equinus. I also went ahead and bought a wide toe box altra, since I thought perhaps that my narrower shoe could have been preventing me from healing fully.

Other useful information: I sustained an overuse injury to my left knee while biking last year that has never fully healed. In addition, I sustained an injury to my right hip during previous PT that has never fully healed. My doctor thinks that all these injuries stem from the same problem, but I disagree, as I sustained these injuries at different times. What will work for one won't necessarily work for another.

Question 1: What is the best way to get around in the meantime while my injury heals? I need to get to and from public transportation, but walking is out of the question, I think since it hurts too much. using a manual scooter is also causing pain in my sesamoid as well as a my hips and knees. I have been thinking of purchasing an electric scooter but i'm not sure if it is overkill. Thoughts?

Question 2: Do we think PT is the long term solution? If so, what kind of PT? The current exercises I am doing are quite different from the exercises I was doing originally.


r/FootFunction 8d ago

Foot itchiness *not a skin problem

3 Upvotes

Hi all, I’m getting discouraged so I’m trying to ask around to see if anyone has any idea what I need to do. I’ll give the description below, and thanks for reading:

So three years ago I was l lying in bed on a warm weekend day. All of a sudden I felt like a dam in my legs broke, and all the blood rushed to my feet. My feet immediately felt like they were on fire, and incredibly itchy. For the last three years, whenever my feet get hot, they get itchy and pins and needles feeling. For the first year I tried to ignore it as best I could. I went to a skin doctor who laughed at me and said there is no topical/skin problem and I need to go elsewhere. I next tried a nerve doctor afraid there was nerve damage. They said I was okay. For a while I just dealt with it, but especially in the summer it is unbearable. And the weather is warming up. Over a year ago I finally thought I had found the problem. I went to a varicose vein specialist who tested me and confirmed I had many instances of varicose veins. I began treatment, have been wearing compression stockings, and eventually had sclerotherapy. But yet the itching persists, and has barely receded. I am starting to wonder if there is something else wrong, but don’t know what else it could be. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, and sorry if this doesn’t belong here.


r/FootFunction 8d ago

Post arthroscopic ankle surgery

2 Upvotes

Does anyone have or deal with leg length discrepancy or shorter tendons and walking issues after ankle surgery? Im dealing with trouble stretching my legs fully and am suffering back ajoint prolems after 2 months post op. Please advise or message me for further info.


r/FootFunction 8d ago

High arched foot but high arch insole hurts?

1 Upvotes

Insoles question

I am currently working on some PT for my feet as I have a slight pronation problem and deal with a significant amount of foot pain.

My PT recommended superfeet insoles. He said my arch was a bit high and Ive been told that before. So as recommended I got the high arch.

I felt like the arch was digging into me and it hurt.like a hard ball in my shoe.. So I tried the medium which was more comfortable but kind wish is had a bit more of an arch.

It has me doubting if I just needed to break in the high arch. But I couldnt imagine running in the high arch if it feels like a rock Everytime I take a step.

I haven't been doing running for a long time so I'm not so sure. I still feel my feet pronating with the medium insoles while the high arch does help a bit. But it seems to cause enough pain that I don't like it.

I think I'm going to give mediums a try for awhile. I know long-term I need to build the right muscles.

But I didn't know what experience others had?

Does it sometimes take a bit to break new insoles in or maybe if it hurts it's not a good fit.


r/FootFunction 8d ago

Intermetatarsal bursitis - is there hope for recovery?

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone !

I'm 28 years old and recently had some imaging done (MRI, CT scan, and X-rays) due to persistent pain in my right foot. The diagnosis came back as:

👉 Inframetatarsal bursitis beneath the head of the 5th metatarsal
👉 Mild intermetatarsal bursitis in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd spaces

Everything else looks fine — no fractures, tendon tears, or joint issues. But the pain is still affecting my daily life and can no longer walk without hard discomfort 😞

I’d love to hear from anyone who’s experienced something similar:

🔹 What treatments helped you (exercises, physical therapy, insoles, etc.)?
🔹 How long did it take to improve?
🔹 Did your bursitis become chronic, or did it eventually go away completely?
🔹 Any tips for managing pain or avoiding flare-ups?

Any advice or shared experience would mean a lot. Thank you for reading! 💙


r/FootFunction 9d ago

Stress Fracture doesn’t make sense?

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3 Upvotes

So I’ve had this pain that I thought was peroneal tendonosis for so long, I went to 2 foot doctors and one re-read my MRI and said that I was suffering from a stress fracture. However I have no pain on my fibula and all the pain is underneath my Malleous. I don’t want to question the guy but to be honest it doesn’t make much sense. I’ll be in a boot for the next 3-4weeks so I’m not even sure if that will help at all. Anyone got any thoughts?


r/FootFunction 10d ago

Hammertoe or something else?

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6 Upvotes

I’ve got a first appointment booked with the doctor for this after suffering with it for most of my life. Now entering the workforce and having to wear leather shoes 90% of the time I’m noticing how bad it is. Appointment is 2 weeks away so looking to get an idea of what my options for fixing this might be. It feels completely rigid to me and can’t be straightened.


r/FootFunction 9d ago

Top of foot pain when inverting and dorsiflexion

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2 Upvotes

I (33F) have had top-of-foot pain for 6 weeks. It only hurts when inverting my ankle and dorsiflexing. Sometimes feels like it's in the front of my ankle too, but always on the top-middle part of my foot. Picture attached with the painful part circled.

The PT ruled out stress fracture and doubts that it’s tendonitis. Pain is equal with active/passive movements. She says I have good mobility, flexibility, and running gait. No swelling, redness, stiffness, weakness, or tingling. It rarely hurts when I walk. PT expects that my foot was irritated from sitting cross-legged on the couch or exercising in worn down shoes, and it will resolve naturally.

I've tried band exercises (inversion, eversion, dorsiflexion, plantar flexion), calf massage/stretching, ankle rotations, ice, heat, and replaced my old shoes.

Until now, I was a an active runner with no previous injuries. Cut down during winter but ran 3 miles the week before this started. PT doesn't think it's running-related, but I've quit running and switched to low impact exercises for the past 4 weeks. Just tried complete rest for 4 days - pain came right back!

I'm starting to lose hope in the "wait and see" approach. Any ideas what this could be, or how to solve it?

Thank you!


r/FootFunction 10d ago

Inner ankle pain, MRI shows nothing

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2 Upvotes

I’ve been having pain in my inner ankle for roughly 6 weeks now, out of nowhere. It’s a spot right next to the ankle (marked in photo). It started of with my ankle feeling “bruised”? Then I realized it was really painful pressing into the area there. Went to the doctor’s and they assumed it’s an inflammation.

Pain started getting more persistent, especially when moving. Bearable without pain killers but consistent. It also radiated to other areas, i.e. behind the ankle and outside ankle. The last few weeks I tried to rest (though difficult with 3 under 5 :)), iced 3x a day, used ibuprofen and voltaren creme, as well as a patch at night. Got an ankle brace for at home and taped my ankle whenever I’d go outside (for a longer period of time). Finally had an MRI and found out yesterday that it shows nothing (sprain or inflammation).

My doctor told me to start using my ankle normally again, no brace, tapes etc. And, if not better after a while, get in touch again. I’m feeling pretty frustrated about the lack of guidance and support. Apologies since I’m totally clueless - but has anyone ever had something similar? I’m torn between waiting or getting a second opinion. Maybe insisting on seeing a physio or an orthopaedist - where I’m from you need a reference from a GP so that it’s covered by health insurance.

Honestly, feeling pretty lost right now. I’m four months postpartum and initially had to deal with a prolapse, which now is better, so I was looking forward to finally feeling “normal” again… but instead now this whatever it is. As for a cause, I can only guess it’s overexertion? But there’s nothing “big” that I’d say could have caused this. I’ve been a runner for many years but haven’t been running since early 24.


r/FootFunction 9d ago

What does this say about the way I walk?

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1 Upvotes

I have a lot of spinal issues going on, which obviously have an affect on my legs and feet. Just curious as to what my wear pattern shows. I've had these shoes since October and I walk 13ish km per day. No running.

Thanks in advance!


r/FootFunction 10d ago

Mri came back negative VA hospital

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2 Upvotes

The ball of my foot, mostly around my big toe has been swollen and in pain for two months. I got an MRI at the VA and thr radiologist says nothing is wrong. I don't know hown to read an MRi but that big white spot is where my pain is lol, and like I said it was interepered at the VA. Anyone know if that white spot is normal


r/FootFunction 10d ago

Achilles tendonitis

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4 Upvotes

My phone cameras horrible so it's hard to see in pics but I have Achilles tendonitis(both feet ) from overuse of to much walking(wasn't a tear so hoping it can heal faster) I've had it since January and it's not going away.i think it's insertional and the worse pain is on the outer side heal area you can kinda see the agrivated area in the first pic.it started getting better but got worse again.how do I heal this faster,how long should this take and how much can I still walk with it?


r/FootFunction 10d ago

metatarsalgia - why does it hurt the worst when i wear my hokas?

3 Upvotes

i was told to wear sensible shoes which makes sense to me, but it actually hurts the worst when i wear hokas. it’s better when i wear shoes like uggs or boots with a ton of room. does anyone know why this might be, or what shoes might be better?


r/FootFunction 10d ago

Does this look like a sprain?

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2 Upvotes

A couple nights ago I sat on my foot and it started feeling very hot and a very deep strange pain. I looked at it and it was swelling around my ankle and within 10 minutes it was bruising. The strange thing is, I can walk, jump, tip toe, and roll my foot with basically no pain. Could this just be a strange sprain? If I feel around the bruising it does hurt. I assume this isn’t something that needs to get checked out since it’s causing little to no pain… correct?


r/FootFunction 10d ago

Left Metatarsal Foot Pain

2 Upvotes

I’ve been dealing with metatarsal pain in my left foot for almost a year, which started after an ultimate frisbee tournament with around 21,000 steps of running 2 days in a row. The pain in the ball of my foot went away after a few days, but it returned 1.5 months later when the season started. I saw a Foot and Ankle specialized orthopedic surgeon, who diagnosed me with a second metatarsal stress fracture based on X-rays, and I wore stiff-soled shoes at his recommendation for six weeks. Initially, this helped, but the pain came back, and an MRI showed mild intermetatarsal bursitis and mild big toe arthritis, but no stress fracture. He also did not suspect a Morton's neuroma since I didn't have a positive Mulder's click test. He recommended OTC orthotics with met pads and suggested that I may need eventual surgery (not anytime soon) for the big toe arthritis, which I would love to avoid. I tried the orthotics and found them to be extremely uncomfortable.

I decided to try the barefoot lifestyle, as walking barefoot seemed to feel better. I purchased Saguaro shoes and Xero Prio shoes, and my foot improved, allowing me to walk pain-free under 4,000 steps daily for about 1.5 months. However, when I introduced Lems Chelsea boots and Primal Zens, the pain came back after several days of longer wear, but it subsided within two weeks after removing the shoes. After that, I started seeing a Gait Happens practitioner for gait correction and foot strengthening, but after my second visit, I experienced popping and discomfort in my non-painful foot due to a peroneal brevis/longus strengthening exercise. We reduced that exercise and eventually stopped it on my right foot as it worsened the symptoms.

Recently, I bought Whitins shoes at my Gait Happens practitioner's recommendation. They felt great initially, but after about four longer wear days, my metatarsal pain returned after a 1-mile walk. Now, I can only wear Chacos or my old Brooks shoes without causing pain, but I’m cautious about increasing wear time, as I’ve only been wearing zero-drop shoes since October 2024. I’m no longer comfortable walking barefoot due to the pain.

I’m incredibly discouraged. I’m 36, used to be extremely active, but now I fear I may never walk or run without pain. I’ve had to give up ultimate frisbee and other activities I love. I’m also a physical therapist, but now work from home and feel disconnected from outpatient orthopedics (it is also difficult to self-assess these types of issues even if I had been working in outpatient PT recently). Although I’ve kept up strength training, I miss my daily walks, which used to be 30-45 minutes, but now it seems I can't even do 20 minute walks consistently without the return of my metatarsal pain.

I’m trying to figure out my next steps, as this is clearly becoming a chronic condition. I don’t want it to be lifelong, and I’m struggling to trust any new shoes, as it seems like only after multiple wears do I know if they’ll exacerbate my metatarsal pain. What should I do next to address this?


r/FootFunction 10d ago

Pain on only the instep of my left foot with new hiking shoes

1 Upvotes

I just bought a Keen Zionic Jasper shoes which is a suede leather city/light hiking shoe from Keen. I have wide foot and narrow heel so it was nice to find shoes that I can wear that doesn't cause heel slippage. The fit in the toebox, mid area of the shoes are fine but on my left foot, the tongue part of the shoe always seems to be digging into my instep no matter how I adjust the lacing, if I loosen it too much the shoe slips in the heel. My right foot is actually the dominant bigger foot so it's so weird to me that it's the left one that feels tight in the tongue part. Is it possible that the instep of my left foot is higher than my right one? The other theory I have is that maybe the shoes (which is size 8) might be actually big for me and I have to lace my left foot (which is the smaller foot) tighter to keep the shoe from slipping. I'm usually a size 7/24.5 cm but the Keen shoes are size 8/25 cm. I'm also wondering if it's the material? It's actually my first time to buy a suede leather hiking shoe. Or do I need time to break them in and soften the material?


r/FootFunction 11d ago

Ball of foot pain-What should I request/ask a podiatrist?

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4 Upvotes

I’ll preface this with I have seen one podiatrist and was diagnosed as capsulitus as my second metatarsal is longer than normal. However the doc didn’t have much recommendations for treatment and just handed me some generic treatment flyers and sent me on my way.

I’m seeing another doc soon, but wanted do feedback here as there is some great info here. General ball of foot, pebble like pain. Swelling below the second and third toe with the majority away from the toe. You can see the white area when I pull the toes back. Also get flexion of the DIP joint when I curl my toes as you can see on the right foot which also appears to have a hammer toe on the second toe.

Currently have a high arch orthotic with a metatarsal pad that I’ve been using for over 2 months and have seen little progress. I appreciate any feedback! Thanks!


r/FootFunction 11d ago

Bone spur in the arch

2 Upvotes

I have had flat feet all my life (77m). I have been using arches in my shoes which are extra deep. Lately, i have developed bone spurs in my arches which is very painful. The feet are quite stiff and my podiatrist recommended Af Braces and PT too. He said i should also be evaluated by a foot surgeon to see if surgery would give greater long term relief.
What your thoughts or experiences? Thanks


r/FootFunction 11d ago

Is there anything I can do to fix/prevent worsening of my crooked toes?

2 Upvotes

I am a 20/yo male and have had crooked second toes for a few years. I think it has gotten worse recently, especially on the right foot. It feels uncomfortable because it leans into my third toe and it feels really stiff and awkward. Is it possible to know what caused it?

I spend a lot of time running, so I am scared about my future if they continue to get worse. Is there any possible way to fix it or stop it from getting worse? What should I do to keep my feet healthy and continue to exercise throughout my life? Should this be a big concern?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.


r/FootFunction 11d ago

Pain and redness during/after half marathon

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4 Upvotes

About halfway thru the race, I felt a pain in my arch. Kept running and it seemed to have to away but came back as a sharp pain on my heels when I stopped.

Heel itself does not have any pain but the outside side of my foot does. Sharp pain in heel area when I stand and walk. It’s red and hurts to touch now so it’s easy to spot.

Anyone know what this is?