Help poor ol Strat and his busted foot

[Strat]

So my foot has been killing me for over a week. It's due to an old injury from years ago that I never had checked out by a doctor. After it healed it would occasionally act up every couple years but I always ignored it because nobody likes going to the doctor. This time was a bit worse. I've been stuck inside for a week.

I did finally go to the doctor last Friday, fortunately nothing is broken. I have to see an orthopedist soon.

In the meantime my foot needs to stop hurting. After being in constant pain for so long it's more so aggravating than it is painful. Also since I've been walking/hobbling improperly for a week now my knee is acting up since my body was out of alignment.

I've tried epsom salts and that didn't work. I'm thinking about submerging it in a bucket of ice water but if I do that I'll have to do that tomorrow. The pain is in the ball of my foot, right around the knuckle of my middle toe. I can't move my toes without pain and even if I could it's difficult due to all the swelling.

Will compression help? I'm thinking about massaging it with tiger balm (because that stuff is awesome) and wrapping it tightly with gauze. What do you guys think?

[DeDukshyn]

Could it be gout? Ice might help ease the pain, especially if there's inflammation and swelling.

EDIT:
Other than that I got nothing, but I feel for you. I had a complete foot blowout several years ago, cartilage crushed, Achilles tendon fully torn, pretty much every ligament torn or strained. Went to a walk in, Dr said it was bad, and that I probably needed surgery. Filled my prescription for an air cast, and never went back ... took a year to fully heal, as I re-injured it several times ... shoulda got the surgery ...

[thepainterdoug]

take anything anti inflamatory, herbs like tumeric, and wrap in castor oil on some flannel overnight while sleeping

hope it subsides

[Franny]

Ha! painterdoug, I was thinking the same thing. Both would work well.

[Mike Gorman]

Don't underestimate the value of taking 3 Aspirin, that is the original anti-inflammatory and pain killer. Soaking the foot in hot water might relieve the pain also with some oil of Eucalyptus, that will help.

[Strat]

Could it be gout? Ice might help ease the pain, especially if there's inflammation and swelling.

EDIT:
Other than that I got nothing, but I feel for you. I had a complete foot blowout several years ago, cartilage crushed, Achilles tendon fully torn, pretty much every ligament torn or strained. Went to a walk in, Dr said it was bad, and that I probably needed surgery. Filled my prescription for an air cast, and never went back ... took a year to fully heal, as I re-injured it several times ... shoulda got the surgery ...

I don't know if it's gout, frankly I don't know anything about it. I just googled it and I seem to have the symptoms. I saw the doc and he didn't mention gout but he did say that an untreated injury can lead to arthritis. But he admitted there wasn't much they could do for me at the walk in clinic and said I need to see a podiatrist.

I am afraid they might recommend surgery. Ever since I originally hurt it my foot has felt a bit off. It has feels as though I have an extra bone between the knuckles of my middle toe and whatever you call the next one.. ring toe? Imagine a small pebble in your shoe that doesn't hurt when you walk just feels kinda weird. It's like that but inside the foot. Usually doesn't hurt but like I said, flares up every couple years.

Doug thanks for the heads up! I do have turmeric so I'll take some now. And thank you as well Mike, I'll pop some Aspirin, pretty sure I have that. Good excuse for a small meal as I watch Leprechauns.

[Mashika]

Could it be gout? Ice might help ease the pain, especially if there's inflammation and swelling.

EDIT:
Other than that I got nothing, but I feel for you. I had a complete foot blowout several years ago, cartilage crushed, Achilles tendon fully torn, pretty much every ligament torn or strained. Went to a walk in, Dr said it was bad, and that I probably needed surgery. Filled my prescription for an air cast, and never went back ... took a year to fully heal, as I re-injured it several times ... shoulda got the surgery ...

I don't know if it's gout, frankly I don't know anything about it. I just googled it and I seem to have the symptoms. I saw the doc and he didn't mention gout but he did say that an untreated injury can lead to arthritis. But he admitted there wasn't much they could do for me at the walk in clinic and said I need to see a podiatrist.

I am afraid they might recommend surgery. Ever since I originally hurt it my foot has felt a bit off. It has feels as though I have an extra bone between the knuckles of my middle toe and whatever you call the next one.. ring toe? Imagine a small pebble in your shoe that doesn't hurt when you walk just feels kinda weird. It's like that but inside the foot. Usually doesn't hurt but like I said, flares up every couple years.

Doug thanks for the heads up! I do have turmeric so I'll take some now. And thank you as well Mike, I'll pop some Aspirin, pretty sure I have that. Good excuse for a small meal as I watch Leprechauns.

My mom got those 'gout' things around when she was about to turn 39, she took treatment for it. Apparently if you don't it can end up in your fingers too, so you are basically unable to do anything anymore. Better to just make sure, just in case. It's a serious thing for sure, from what i heard from her

[Trisher]

I would try DMSO. It is one of those "super" healing tools and definitely helps relieve pain.

kvrHwAmU_ro

[onawah]

Ouch! So sorry that happened to you Strat.
I've been dealing with chronic pain for a long time and the emotional toll it takes can be just as devastating as the injury.
I hope you are getting some emotional support as well as physical.
If it were me, I would go for some deep tissue massage like Rolfing; it's not comfortable, but someone skilled could probably correct it for you.
And acupuncture would help with the pain and assist healing, though that would happen more over time.
Good luck!

[samsdice]

I fractured my ankle several years ago and still get pain every now and then. I mix a teaspoon of turmeric with 1/2 tsp of black pepper and add some olive oil to turn it into a paste and swallow. The pain usually subsides in 20 mins or so. YMMV but it's worth a try.

[Vangelo]

The pain is in the ball of my foot, right around the knuckle of my middle toe. I can't move my toes without pain and even if I could it's difficult due to all the swelling.


Is this what you have? Metatarsalgia (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/metatarsalgia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354790)

[Harmony]

Another thing that can aggravate foot pain is wearing different shoes than you normally do. Maybe try wearing nice supportive runners or the shoes you normally feel very comfortable in for the next week or so and see if that helps.



Watch what you are eating incase of a build up of uric acid. There should be natural remedies for nuetralising uric acid in your system you could search for on the internet that would suit you best Strat.


Also if you have magnesium oil you could rub some of that into your foot to help relieve the pain and inflamation.

[Patient]

So much great info! A lot of options to try and I am sure that you will find what helps the most.

In the meantime, I would offer this thought as well - keep doing everything else that you can do. Exercising other parts of your body will help.

Movement is life.

[Bill Ryan]

Strat, there's a LOT of information about joints (and remedies for inflammation) on this thread:


Joints, inflammation, etc (https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?107978-Joints-inflammation-etc)

The first thing would seem to have the problem diagnosed. A chiropractor might help (if it's an alignment issue, often a result of old injuries), or any kind of scan.

An ultrasound scan might be relatively inexpensive and would show up any soft tissue issues. An X-Ray would be needed if there was an old fracture that somehow hasn't healed properly. And old fractures can sometimes break again... the bones in the foot are very complicated. (There are 26 of them!)

Anti-inflammatories (pharma or natural) do their job, but all inflammation is just the body's healing reaction to an underlying deeper problem. Inflammation (like a fever!) is a GOOD thing unless it's chronic and won't go away.

One home remedy that might really help is to do a water fast. Fasting for 4-5 days (or longer) often helps with chronic inflammation issues, and the body's natural self-healing mechanism, called autophagy, kicks in sometimes very powerfully. If you've never done one before, it may take a little getting used to, but there's a ton of advice on this thread:


Water Fasting (https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?101104-Water-Fasting/page11)

[Pam]

take anything anti inflamatory, herbs like tumeric, and wrap in castor oil on some flannel overnight while sleeping



hope it subsides


Soaking in Epsom salts and following up with this Castor oil recommendation .Saturate a piece of flannel in Organic Castor oil as doug suggessed and wrap the inflammed area in the saturated flannel. Add a heating pad. The oil can be pretty viscious so cover it with a piece of plastic to protect furniture and heating pad. I would start out twice a day for 1 hour or so. You can then bag the saturated flannel and reuse it multiple times. Be gentle with the foot, too much stretching too early can be too much for it. I use DMSO as a topical agent for inflammation and it works very well. This is a good time to avoid hospitalization if at all possibie.

I'm so sorry about your foot.

[Sunny-side-up]

Hi Strat hope you feel better soon, sending you some Golden Energy to help.
Just wondering? hows your Blood Pressure ? especially circulation in the legs.

[Dennis Leahy]

I've got foot issues as well, and really feel for you, Strat. It's impossible not to walk 'funny' when there is pain in every step, so you have the foot issue that then multiplies up the chain to knee and hip and spine issues from trying to baby the primary problem. Rest and elevation will probably help, but that means being stuck on your ass and not doing most of everything you need to do on your feet.

If it is arthritis (that has formed at an injury point), the long-term solution is probably an anti-arthritic diet (which I wish I had figured out when I was your age!) I would get examined by and a good set of x-rays by a podiatrist. I've been lucky and have been to 2 good podiatrists, and zero bad ones, but ask around (ask old farts, like me) for recommendations for a good podiatrist.

I think others covered the bases on symptomatic relief. My rule of thumb: ice if it's a new injury (to slow blood flow) and heat if it's chronic (to increase blood flow, which I think castor oil also helps with.)

Best of luck to you and let us know your progress to recovery.

[onawah]

PS If you use turmeric, it's more effective and digestible when fermented.
(Black pepper can help to make regular turmeric easier to absorb, but it can also cause digestive issues.)
There is a good recipe for fermented turmeric here:https://www.rebeccawood.com/recipes/fermented-turmeric-tea/
Or if you don't want to deal with the mess (it stains) and fuss, you can buy it in capsule form.
I get mine at Vitacost where they have lots to choose from (and shipping is free with orders $49 or more).
See: https://www.vitacost.com/productsearch.aspx?t=fermented%20turmeric

Finally, I blew my knee out years ago when I was living in California.
The masseuse I went to really helped a lot, but his recommendation to go walking barefoot on the deep, sandy shore helped even more.

[Ravenlocke]

Hello,
I would also recommend the following topical creams for pain relief.
There is Arnica cream which helps with muscle, etc but also Capsaicin cream which is really helpful for arthritic pain.

You can find both at the drug store and they are both OTC (over the counter) medicine.
Take care, hope your pain goes away quickly and you heal up quick too.

[Anchor]

The pain is getting worse because your body wants it to be fixed and you keep ignoring it.

[Hym]

Comfrey root and leaf. In homeopathics as symphytum.
I've used it in teas and tincture form.

It's also called Bone Mend, Knit Bone and Bone Set, as it alkalinizes the blood enough to facilitate many healing responses, from healing bones to ligaments and tendons.

We know it is a highly effective herb as the fda has gone out of it's way to push the herbal companies to leave it out of their formulas in the last decade. Their lie is that it over alkalinizes the system....of course that is only when you take much more than the natural dosage, just like water and other non-patentable products that we all know as essential and great, proven curatives.

When my dog has ligament problems I put some of the dried herb of the comfrey leaf, I've grown for a while, in his food. I've done it so often in his middle years that I habitually put it in his food daily. He likes it as much as the other sprouts and roots he eats while on our walk and runs.

Also Dit Da Jow is a strong and penetrating liniment I've used for serious bruises, even a break once. It feels like it is absorbed much like DMSO is. It has been used for centuries when treating martial arts injuries, sports injuries, work injuries.

When the injury is serious, after taking Rescue Remedy, slowing down the circulation in the area and elevating if necessary, soaking alternately with warm and cold, I use all of the above.

[iota]

so sorry Strat! so glad you've gotten a wealth of knowledge that pretty much covers all that i might have suggested ... my only "adds" would be NAC

it is one of the most powerful antioxidants whose health benefits are incredible.

here is an article outlining 29 benefits:

29 NAC Benefits & Uses (N-Acetyl Cysteine) (https://supplements.selfdecode.com/blog/nac-top-43-science-based-health-benefits-n-acetyl-cysteine-nac/)

some highlights:

Pain and Inflammation


NAC alleviated pain in a study of 146 people over 2 years, especially in those with poor circulation. The participants took 1,200 mg NAC daily [88].


NAC (1,200 mg/day) reduced inflammatory markers such as CRP and IL-6 in a study of 24 people with kidney disease. Given to 15 patients with severe burns, NAC reduced oxidative damage, increased antioxidant protection, and reduced inflammatory markers


But it had no effect on kidney inflammation in kids nor on leg cramps


NAC reduced neuropathic pain in rats by blocking an important inflammatory pathway: matrix metalloproteinases


In cells, NAC targeted the same pathway as common anti-inflammatory painkillers: COX-2


NAC reduced pain and inflammation of different origins, including kidney disease, injuries, and severe burns


In one study NAC supplementation improved demanding cycling performance in 10 athletes after 9 days. It increased their antioxidant capacity, physical performance, and muscle recovery.


One study concluded that NAC can alter the energy balance in muscles and hinder muscle repair. When given to 10 men after intense exercise, it lowered inflammation in the muscles but at the same time slowed down muscle recovery after 8 days.


In several studies of 16 people in total, NAC infusions given before intense exercise reduced post-exercise muscle fatigue.


NAC could reduce muscle fatigue in exercises that demanded only 80% muscle power, while it wasn’t beneficial for high-power training in 7 men


NAC increased glutathione and blood cysteine in several studies in healthy people, which was linked to improved strength, endurance, and exercise performance


NAC could help maintain high levels of the anti-inflammatory IL-10 even a week after exercising in 29 people


not too mention its very effective applications against all things covid and flu ...

also this for healing ...


pQF5VhsofxY

just play in background or when resting or sleeping

AND tonight? i will lift you up in my heart for healing!

:heart:

[DNA]

Fasting helps everything, H.A. or hyerlonic acid helps joints amazingly!!! I hope you feel better.