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The response to the question below was authored by Marc Mitnick DPM
Intense Pain & Burning middle of the bottom of foot
by Dawn
I started a 2nd job about 6 months ago cashiering 4 hours a day 3 times a week (I cashiered for about 15 years a decade ago). A couple of months ago I noticed that when I got up in the mornings my feet felt tender & very stiff & it hurt to walk for a little while. In the last month I have begun this agonizing pain in the bottom middle of my right foot & there is like a bump in that area, that is almost so painful I can't even stand to have my feet rubbed any longer. I had a bunionectomy on my right foot about 10 years ago followed by a second surgery to scrape the scar tissue. I have orthotic prescribed heel inserts but they don't be seem to helping at all. Please advise!
RESPONSEHi Dawn,
I am just grabbing at straws here because it could be any number of things and I do not have the luxury of actually examining you.
Having said that, if you feel an actual lump, the most lump you will find in the part of the foot that you describe would be a plantar fibroma, also known as
plantarfibromatosis.
This is a growth that is actually a herniation of the plantar fascial ligament which is the long ligament that runs on the bottom of the foot from the heel to the ball of the foot. This ligament acts to maintain the integrity of the arch.
In most cases a structural weakness in the ligament will cause a portion to herniate through its lining and it will appear as a lump on the bottom portion of the foot, behind the ball of the foot and in front of the heel.
In many cases these lumps are painless but in other individuals they can be very painful.
For years the literature would tell us that these are benign growths but more recently have I have seen articles stating that these growths should either be biopsied or an MRI should be performed just to rule out any chance of malignancy.
Keep in mind that I am not even sure you have a plantarfibroma but as I said earlier that is the most common lump we as foot specialists see on the bottom of the foot.
So in light of the possibility that your growth is a plantarfibroma and certainly because it is very painful my recommendation would be to see a foot specialist in your area and get a proper diagnosis and then treatment.
Marc Mitnick DPM
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ADDITIONAL REFERENCES
Mayo Clinic
Johns Hopkins Medicine
MedlinePlus
Arthritis Foundation
University of Rochester Medical Center
Harvard Health
Drugs.com
American Academy of Pediatrics
Penn State Medical Center
National Institutes of Health
Columbia University Department of Rehabilitation
ScienceDirect
Stanford Health Care
Illinois Bone and Joint Institute
Mount Sinai Hospital
Institute for Chronic Pain
University of Florida Health
American Family Physician
Cedars-Sinai
University of Maryland Medical Center
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