Foot pain/numbness following pregnancy

by Kristin
(Enid, OK)

Hello,

I have a nine week old baby. During my pregnancy I had severe edema in my feet, so painful that I had trouble walking towards the end. The skin around my ankles and on top of toes stretched and cracked quite a bit. My feet remained swollen for several weeks following pregnancy but have resumed back to normal except for the pain and numbness in the top of my toes, especially the big toe. My ankles and top of my feet are also numb in places and painful at times. My big toe gets a shooting pain in it if I flex or bend it in any way. I also have the numbness and pain around one of my knees. I am trying to determine if it will get better over time or I should see the podiatrist. Can you give me any imput on the matter? Thank you and God Bless.

Hi Kristin,
Painful feet in pregnant women is generally due to one of two things. Either too much weight gain or hormonal changes which can adversely affect the ligaments in the feet and cause them to hurt.
If it is hormonal in nature, the pain should subside as your hormone levels return to normal. If it from too much weight gain, it should improve as you lose weight.
BTW, if your ankles are still swelling you should see your doctor.
Marc Mitnick DPM