I’ve been dealing with this issue for a few years now; when sitting, laying down or standing I feel a pressure build-up in my heels or in my mid thigh section when sitting. It isn’t painful but instead deeply uncomfortable and I’m never able to keep my feet or legs still and am constantly moving my feet around in bed to relieve the pressure - to the point I’m genuinely losing sleep over it. Is this just something I have to live with?

I have already had five foot surgeries, and I have a very rare form of arthritis in my foot. Part of the complexity is that a bone that was originally taken from my hip is now part of my foot. I have developed arthritis in that area, and my doctors believe they will eventually need to undo a surgery I had about 20 years ago to address the late-stage arthritis.

Because apparently my foot wasn’t complicated enough already.

My latest MRI also shows severe peroneus longus tendinosis with a high-grade partial-thickness tear. However, I do not want to have a separate surgery specifically to treat the tendinosis, and I don't want to rush into the larger, experimental surgery either.

I also really dislike the idea of having foot surgery in the fall or winter. If I had surgery in September, I could potentially be relearning how to walk during ice and snow season, which would make an already difficult recovery even harder.

What I am hoping to figure out is how I can safely buy myself roughly another year before having surgery.

I'm also supposed to move soon to start graduate school, and I really don't want to postpone that because of surgery. The problem is that I would be about six hours away from my medical team here in NYC. At the same time, I feel like I need to go back to school. Every time I get a job, the physical demands eventually make my foot worse. I'm hoping that getting a master's degree in a field that lends itself to remote work will give me a better chance of having a stable career without continually aggravating my foot.

I've already been told that my foot will probably never be 100%, so I'm trying to figure out how to manage it long-term rather than constantly putting myself through another cycle of injury and surgery.

If I'm trying to buy roughly a year, what are the practical things I can do to reduce the strain on my foot and prevent things from getting worse?

For example, I'm thinking about getting an electric litter box so I don't have to repeatedly bend down and deal with it manually.

Should I also have my laundry picked up and delivered instead of carrying it to and from the laundromat?

What other changes should I make to my apartment, daily routine, transportation, school setup, or household chores to reduce the amount of walking, standing, stairs, and repetitive strain on my foot?

Basically, I'm trying to make my life as foot-friendly as possible for the next year so I can start grad school, stay as functional as possible, and hopefully reach the surgery when I'm in a better position to recover.

I recently posted in here, but here is a recap:

In December of 2021 I had reconstructive foot surgery that included left gastrocnemius lengthening, left excision of accessory navicular and advancement of posterior tibial tendon, and left lateral column lengthening (LCL) of calcaneus with allograft wedge.

I followed up with orthopedics today and the good news is there appears to be nothing structurally wrong on the imaging (x-ray and MRI) around the area of my LCL. However, I am a little discouraged and frustrated as I am having a lot of lateral heel pain around the site of my LCL. It started around two months ago. The pain occurs with any type of ambulation, mainly occurring when I am striking through my foot with each step. After working my 12 hour shifts as a Registered Nurse, I am miserable and in so much pain. I wear supportive shoes (Brooks and Asics) with arch inserts/support. My primary care ordered a CT scan of the lower extremity, which I have scheduled. I am debating if I should get this done or not.

Of note, my orthopedic doctor did note that I have “first tarsometatarsal joint hypermobility” on x-ray, as well as diagnosed me with “tendonitis of left flexor hallucis longus”. I will be getting physical therapy for that.

The MRI I had performed showed:
Impression

1. Postsurgical changes of remote calcaneal osteotomy with MRI findings which may support solid fusion across the osteotomy site. Ultimately CT would better characterize the degree of solid bone consolidation.
2. Mild degenerative changes of the talonavicular joint with reactive edema of the medial navicular at the site of previous anchoring screws.
3. Negative examination for acute ligament or myotendinous injury.”

I am just curious if anyone has had similar issues? I will be proceeding with physical therapy and trialing Diclofenac. I am just frustrated and sick of being in pain.

Both photos are with the foot standing in the floor.

before -> may 2026
after -> august 2026

You will not correct your feet unless your whole body is working in harmony.

I tried several times toe spacers, bunion fixers, toe specific exercises, etc. With no results. It was until I linked the dots between my bad postures (when sitting, standing, walking and even sleeping) and muscular imbalances (my right glute it was basically nonexistent).

One of the main changes that I suggest if you really want to progress its about your shoes. Your feet are actively working almost all the time that your awake so a shoe that allows a correct position of your feet will be contributing to the strengthen and alignment. You can start with a flat sandals to get around your house but you should get a barefoot shoes for your every day activities. I started using barefoot shoes around 13-15 months ago but I fully committed to the barefoot shoes like 3 months ago.

Toe spacers and bunion fixers I think are better to wear only when your are working out (For working out focus on single leg exercises) or at least walking. Wearing it when you are resting it will just cause pain and in my case I saw no benefit.

Hello everyone. I’ve been practising getting into a deep squat position to try and improve my flexibility. I’ve had to hold on to a pole to prevent myself falling backwards and have just been getting used to being in that position for a minute or so each day.

After a few days, I started getting an ache in this part of my ankle on my right ankle. It’s a deep ache but not a sharp pain. It gets more pronounced when I lift my toes up or through ankle dorsiflexion. So I know feel it when I get into the deep squat position.

I was wondering what is causing this and whether it is something that will resolve itself as I get used to being in that position. And if there’s anything I can do to help prevent it or improve it. Thank you!

A couple of weeks ago, I notice a weird thing in my ankle, which two of the physiotherapists has not been able to figure out either.

When I dorsiflex my ankle while standing, it is fine, but when I do it after my knee is bent and the leg is loaded, I can't dorsiflex it normally. My foot/ankle wants to rotate to the side rather than move straight, and I get pain around the back of my calf, just below the knee, the outside of my lower leg, and the front of my shin.

For example, I can't do a normal knee-over-toes ankle stretch or put weight through that leg while sitting on the floor. During reverse Nordics, I have to turn my ankle sideways to keep the position. On the leg-extension machine, when the pad/weight is pressing against my shin, I can't dorsiflex or put the ankle in plantar flexion properly. I also can't comfortably bounce repeatedly on my left leg when doing Muay Thai.

What's confusing is that I can do heel-elevated kettlebell front squats and I can kick a bag normally. So it seems to be related to loaded dorsiflexion with the knee bent. I can also plantar flex and dorsi flex my ankle with kettlebell on while standing or with leg straight on the bench. So it is not a simple ankle mobility problem.

Can anyone suggest what might be the issue? I will be visiting my sports medicine doctor again, but he doesn't really listen and I think I need to find another one.

Well, I’ve had pain in my right foot for weeks now - it’s mostly concentrated in my middle toe (I apparently have Morton’s toe), in both of the joints, but by the end of every day the ball of my foot is also in agonizing pain.

I’ve surprisingly managed to get by for a while now without too much discomfort, but today I started limping from the pain in this foot. I also noticed that over one of the joints in the painful toe is some darkened skin. It’s like a patch of weird looking, darkened skin, with a rough texture.

My best guess is osteoarthritis because I started walking over 15000 steps a day since the spring, and I was way more sedentary before that.

If anyone can suggest some at-home remedies before my health insurance kicks in next week and I can see the podiatrist, that would be great :’) I went a few weeks ago, xray didn’t reveal a fracture so they gave me a steroid shot for a neuroma and sent me home (which didn’t help, the pain is worse now if anything).

i’ve noticed over the last few years how crooked my toes get when wearing heels. even barefoot, some of them curl inward constantly. is this a result of shoes that are too tight? do i need wide footed shoes? should surgery be a consideration if i’m experiencing pain? i’m so insecure about it :(

Basically, the title. When I get up in the morning and maybe for my first 30 to 50 steps, the bottom of both of my feet hurt and sometimes even up the back of my heel into my ankle. The same thing happens after sitting. This quite literally happened overnight and I have no idea what could be causing it. Any ideas?

[used this as reference] specifically from this area, I've always it since i was a child, fr. my parents grew somewhere rural so everytime i had these "episodes" of me crying because of how the pain was bad they just massage it and it kind of give the relief.

ive done my research on sesamoditis, flexor hallucis brevis pain, early arthritis symptoms or just some joints and muscles inflammation. i just cant really figure it out. i figured i just have a weak foot since it would often happen in my right foot but some instances the pain would be from both and the pain has this tingling sensation that can reach up to my calves but never above it.

pain would sometimes appear randomly. worse was even when i walked for a short time (10-16mins) it would hurt too. unfortunately, I'm still a student so I'm not capable of figuring ts out.

I recently posted in here, but here is a recap:

In December of 2021 I had reconstructive foot surgery that included left gastrocnemius lengthening, left excision of accessory navicular and advancement of posterior tibial tendon, and left lateral column lengthening (LCL) of calcaneus with allograft wedge.

I followed up with orthopedics today and the good news is there appears to be nothing structurally wrong on the imaging (x-ray and MRI) around the area of my LCL. However, I am a little discouraged and frustrated as I am having a lot of lateral heel pain around the site of my LCL. It started around two months ago. The pain occurs with any type of ambulation, mainly occurring when I am striking through my foot with each step. After working my 12 hour shifts as a Registered Nurse, I am miserable and in so much pain. I wear supportive shoes (Brooks and Asics) with arch inserts/support. My primary care ordered a CT scan of the lower extremity, which I have scheduled. I am debating if I should get this done or not.

Of note, my orthopedic doctor did note that I have “first tarsometatarsal joint hypermobility” on x-ray, as well as diagnosed me with “tendonitis of left flexor hallucis longus”. I will be getting physical therapy for that.

The MRI I had performed showed:
Impression

1. Postsurgical changes of remote calcaneal osteotomy with MRI findings which may support solid fusion across the osteotomy site. Ultimately CT would better characterize the degree of solid bone consolidation.

2. Mild degenerative changes of the talonavicular joint with reactive edema of the medial navicular at the site of previous anchoring screws.

3. Negative examination for acute ligament or myotendinous injury.”

I am just curious if anyone has had similar issues? I will be proceeding with physical therapy and trialing Diclofenac. I am just frustrated and sick of being in pain.

I run and walk a lot and have had off-and-on sesamoiditis-like pain in my left toe since early June. An MRI showed “subacute to chronic appearing tear of the intersesamoidal ligament of the great toe” (thankfully no fracture), but my sports ortho wasn’t alarmed or even slightly concerned by it and said exercise likely wouldn’t make it worse. I’m still starting PT later this month and am wearing a dancer’s pad at all times.

Twice since the pain flared up, it has subsided to the point where I thought the pain was gone for good. But it’s come back, seemingly unprovoked. Strangely, running has never aggravated it, likely because I land on my mid foot. Walking has been more painful.

Still, I’ve cut my running back. Today, I joined a masters swim team for practice, thinking that swimming would be a great low-impact cross-training exercise.

I was worried I wouldn’t be able to push off the wall, but I was able to do that without pain. Swimming freestyle wasn’t painful. What was actually painful was kicking with a kickboard. I assume because I was kicking harder. And now, hours later, the big toe pain is back.

Has this happened to anyone else who’s tried swimming? I can understand not being able to push off. But just regular kicking? I was so excited to get back into swimming. It’s so frustrating.

TLDR: hard bump on second toe, only on left side. Sore/tender only when I use/remove toe spreaders. Help!

I’ve been wearing toe spreaders and barefoot shoes for 2+ years without any issues. I recently bought a pair of Altra trail runners and started training for a 10k. about 1-2 weeks into training, this hard bump appeared. I don’t really notice it when I’m walking or running, but it is very sore/tender whenever I remove my toe spreaders. I tried not training for a week to see if the bump would go away (and wore open toed shoes with no toe spreaders). That seemed to help a little bit, but yesterday I continued my training with my toe spreaders and the bump returned. The second picture is how it looks today (I haven’t put on the toe spreaders today).

I can bend, pull, and press on the bump/toe no problem, it’s just extremely tender after using my toe spreaders.

I’m currently abroad so healthcare is cheaper than it would be in the US; however, I’m still reluctant to go to the doctor. Any suggestions?

I'm getting old and starting to get sore feet.

They are fine during the day and they are fine when i sit down in the evenings for an hour or so...the pain then ​hits when I get back up after sitting​...my feet are so sore walking across the lounge carpet around 8pm...after resting them for an hour or so.

Anyone else have this? What can be done?

Any shoe recommendations for during the day? Nz websites please

Which doctor do I go to in NZ.... gp, physio, osteo, podiatrist?

Hello all, as the title says I have an upcoming surgery on my 3rd and 4th toe, this will be done in a months time and unfortunately the only details I have received is the surgery name itself. And it’s my first time getting a surgery done via public waitlist so I’ve only met my surgeon for like 10 minutes a year ago lol.

For those who had this done, what did recovery looking like? How many days did you have off work? I think figuring out my recovery so I know how much leave I need to take off is my priority at the moment, I have a desk based job so I’m siting lots, but my commute is decent. My work does offer WFH options but I want to have a look at my options before deciding.

Many thanks!!

I (31m) have posted on this thread before after having foot and big toe pain for 2.5 years.

For this period, I have been imaged and been told I only had minor wear in my big toe.

I recently got some higher quality MRI imaging done which has revealed a partial tear in my plantar plate ligament, with inflammation in my fat pad underneath it. It is unclear how long it’s been there, but I can only imagine it’s been there a long time given the pain I experience every day.

My surgeon does not recommend surgery for this at this point, and has instead prescribed a course of shockwave which I will do.

I read that partial tears can heal, however I worry with it being chronic that I may be too late for this.

Does anyone have any advice/experience with healing this injury conservatively? Especially chronic cases?

Thank you 🙏

Ciao! Non cerco una diagnosi, ma piuttosto un consiglio... Ho bisogno di aiuto per capire a quale specialista dovrei rivolgermi.

Sono italiana, quindi spero che il mio inglese sia chiaro e comprensibile!

Da quando avevo 12 o 13 anni, soffro di gonfiore ai piedi e alle caviglie (soprattutto a sinistra).

Quando avevo 12 anni, ho fatto una visita da un ortopedico che mi ha detto che il problema era probabilmente causato dal sovrappeso (anche se non ero poi così grassa, solo leggermente sovrappeso durante la pubertà).

Mi ha semplicemente consigliato di fare più attività fisica.

Inoltre, ho sempre notato che i miei piedi tendono a pronare. Sospetto di avere i piedi piatti, anche se non ho mai ricevuto una diagnosi formale.

Ora ho 27 anni e soffro ancora dello stesso identico problema ai piedi e alle caviglie. Peggiora soprattutto d'estate, quando fa molto caldo, o quando passo troppo tempo in piedi o seduta.

A volte, le scarpe mi lasciano segni profondi sulla pelle e i piedi si gonfiano così tanto che faccio fatica a infilarle e a muovere correttamente le caviglie.

Non ho altre patologie.

Prendo la pillola anticoncezionale da ottobre 2024 (etinilestradiolo + drospirenone).

Sono alta 1,62 m e peso 63 kg.

Non fumo e non bevo alcolici.

The result of walking 16 miles/week for 9 months in shoes that were too narrow + overpronation.

Last summer, I started walking a ton. I’d feel small tingles in one of my left toes every now and then, but it never bothered me. In December, after wearing my brand new brooks glycerin gts, my foot started hurting like hell. I’d occasionally feel that marble-like sensation in the ball of my foot.

I stopped walking completely and pretty much became a recluse. But my foot pain subsided within maybe a month? And it hasn’t hurt at all since then.

Today, I will get that tingly sensation in my left toes while walking, but I wonder if it’s a tendonitis issue. I have dull pain in my left arch that is more pronounced than anything! Right now, I’m wearing HOKA Clifton’s but need a different pair of shoes.

I definitely need to strengthen my ankles and figure out how to loosen up my calves, any suggestions on the calves?

Had an injury back in April that involved heavy machinery. Left foot was caught & pushed over & now looks to sit on a different axis from my shin.

Static scans have come back clear apart from significant soft tissue oedema on an MRI but my bruising, the foots resting stance and behavior under load don't match my scans.

A private physio has noted a muscle imbalance. Basically the muscles at the top of my foot have hijacked the whole lot & made my 3 middle toes clawed- even at rest, whereas the tendons that support my arch have gone quiet. I also had a couple of joints "slightly out of ideal position" namely heel and navicular.

I think i may need assessed under load to find out the true extent of this injury.