Hi,
Hoping someone can help. I have swelling and pain on the TOP of my left foot.It is very painful to walk regularly, and somewhat better if I twist my foot and walk on the side of my foot. THe top of my foot is also swollen and red, Any ideas?

Thanks,

Scott

Dear Scott,
Any history of trauma? Unfortunately, complaints of a swollen painful foot has a laundry list of possible diagnoses. It could be anything from a strain/sprain relating to a muscle or tendon involvement to arthritic like symptoms involving a more bony component. However, it could also be fracture, infection, connective tissue disorder, biomechanical disorder, tumor etc..etc...It would be difficult to give you an exact diagnosis without a thorough history and physical exam. In the list of possible diagnoses I also included the zebras, things that are sort of out there but unlikely to be the source of complaint. You should go in and see a Podiatrist. He /she will then be able to correlate your symptoms, clinical picture and history and be able to give you a more accurate diagnosis.

Good-luck and thank-you for contacting foot.com,
SBarlizo, DPM
foot.com expert

Scott,
I am going through the exact same symptoms as you. (pain and swelling on top of my left foot. I went to the doc yesterday and she told me i had arthritis in my joints. I work full time on my feet. I have just turned 50 and i guess this can happen after years of abuse. I was told to invest in some Dansco work shoes that are endorsed by the pediatric assoc. (there are others out there as well) just make sure they have good arch support (my feet are now flat also!) and good side support. She also told me to take advil for pain (which is not working at all). I have a call in to her for some kind of stronger pain killer. I have tried the advil for 2 days now and it is like I took nothing! Good luck.
Sandra

I'm having pain in the same location, but without the swelling. It's in the top of my foot, just above where the foot bends at the toes. It's very painful, and has been since wearing bad shoes in November briefly. The thing is, I stopped wearing the shoes right away when the pain started (it was almost like the shoe didn't bend enough for my foot and put pressure on the foot) and now it's April and it's still just as painful, if not worse....

I know, I should go see a Podiatrist, but thought I'd post here in the meantime to see if anyone had any great ideas....

Thanks!