foot lump

by Linda
(new Zealand)

My daughter age 10 , has a lump midway on the lateral edge of each foot.
Normally, prominent but not painful. Yesterday she did a lot of sports and running at school, one of these lumps is painful.

Could you suggest what these lumps are.
No one else in the family has similiar lumps on their feet.

thank you.

Hi Linda,
The first thing that comes to mind is an enlargement of the base of the fifth metatarsal bone. This bone normally flares in most people, but some have a greater prominence than others.
Because of its outward prominence it may end up being a periodic problem for your daughter. One thing you can do is when you buy her shoes, make sure the shoe is wide enough in that area; most people check for width on the heads of the metatarsal bones, but in your daughter's case you will also have to be certain of the width further back in the shoe.
Marc Mitnick DPM