Pain and swelling on top of left foot that radiates down third metatarsal

by TSW
(WV)

I have had this problem with my left foot for the past 4 months and I am getting frustrated. I have been prescribed an anti-inflammatory by my general doctor. He took an X-ray and said nothing was broken. After a few weeks the anti-inflammatory helped with the pain, but the swelling and discoloration weren't going away. So, I saw a podiatrist and he took and X-ray and an MRI. He said the MRI showed a possible stress fracture of the third metatarsal and a deep bone bruise. He said I have a leaking of the bone marrow and this is what is causing the swelling. I have been wearing a surgical shoe on my left foot for almost 3 months now. But, I still have pain, tenderness and with the swelling I can't fit my foot into a regular shoe. Is this normal??? The podiatrist also gave me a cortisone injection on the top of my foot but it really didn't do anything. Why isn't my foot healing? The only accident I had was tripping in a hole in my backyard. I twisted my left foot. Could this have been caused by that? Also, I was thinking that I had bought a pair of Nike Shox shoes and when I was out for walks I would sometimes over extend my toes on my left foot. This would cause a terrible pain in my toes and tingling. This really hurt but it didn't always happen. So, I wonder if the shoes may have caused the problem. Also, I want to add I have recently been diagnosed with diabetes. So, now on top of the foot problem I am worried that my foot may not be healing because of the high blood sugar. My doctor's want me to walk to bring down my blood sugar, but how with my foot in this shape. Please help. What should my next move be?

Hi TSW,
I never heard of bone marrow leaking out of the bone, so I would try another podiatrist. If you have a true fracture, you may have a non-union,or lack of fusion. This would have to be addressed. A simple xray at this point will tell you if there is a fracture or not.
I personally think a surgical shoe is useless; you need to be in a boot which will better immobilize the area.
I guess the next thing you have to do is get a proper diagnosis and in my mind that would mean choosing a different podiatrist or perhaps an orthopedist.
Marc Mitnick DPM