Ball of Foot and Osteo Joint Pain

[fmcandrew]

I have foot pain mostly concentrated around the ball pad area. I have always had very high arches The problems started out of the blue with cross over toes a couple of years ago and has evolved to where the metatarsyl bones are veering inwards and I can no longer stand on my toes or walk for more than 10 minutes on hard surfaces without pain. I also have arhritis issues effecting my back, knee and neck shoulder areas that may be related. I have noticed my feet are becoming somewhat deformed. I tried custom insoles, I regularly use ice at night and have tried various supplement to reinforce the bones and have seen an Osteopath and recently an Acupuncturist. Having no improvement I saw a surgeon who has recommended minimally invasive foot surgery- one foot at a time to straighten the metatarsyls followed by bunion surgery the following year. It seems a radical step to take but in my sixties I worry the problem will evolve and become more difficult if I wait. It is a tough decision and I wonder if there is anyone who suffers similarly and has had this sort of surgery.

[cyberbarn]

What this a podiatric surgery or an orthopaedic surgeon? Orthopedic surgeons only do surgery, but a podiatric surgeon is a podiatrist first and has things they can do which don't involved surgery.

I have had surgery on both my feet for my big toe joints that have osteoarthritis, and one of my feet now has some problems with the metatarsals drifting. Foot surgery has definitely come a long way in the last 40 years since I had the first surgeries on my feet! In fact the last one I had I was fully conscious for the surgery, whereas when I was a teen it was full general anaesthetic. Now they are done by day cases, you don't even get to stay in over night, before it was a whole week in hospital! And screws and other fixings means you can usually walk in a special boot putting weight on your heal straight away.

So if you want a second opinion you could ask to see a podiatric surgeon. As for the surgery itself, it is not bad at all.

[grace111]

please go and see a podiatrist. there are many who you can visit privately. i recently went to one in a shop called shuropody im sure there must be branches all over uk. i got inserts to put in my shoes and it was like a miracle im getting better after being in agony and on tramadol.

[fmcandrew in reply to grace111]

I have seen a podiatrist who made me custom inserts, didn't help. I have asked the surgeon for a name of a patient who has a similar condition and underwent a similar surgery to see how their outcomes went but due to privacy laws the doctor would not give me any names so for this reason I am reaching out to this community hoping to find someone in a similar situation. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

[grace111 in reply to fmcandrew]

oh well you have done the right thing before having any operations, yes thats a good idea looking for people who have had similar operations. have you typed that into google as im sure you will find other forums. even type into google forums for foot problems or even the exact question. my legs are still quite sore but my ankles were burning and i got those insterts and its stopped my ankle burning now and the rest of my legs seem to be settling down too. i really hope you find what your looking for as our feet are so important. love grace xoxoxo

i looked for this. ehealthforum.com/health/foo...