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The response to the question below was authored by Marc Mitnick DPM

my 200 lb son landed on my foot

by Sharon
(MA)

I was playing basketball and tried to guard my 6ft 1 son. He had jumped and when coming down landed with his full body weight on the top of my left foot. I have tremendous pain in across the bottom of my foot where the ball is, also have pain on the lateral side of the foot surrounding my ankle. I cant stand on tiptoe, cannot stand on that one foot, it also hurts going up to the side of my knee, not the knee itself but the knobby bone that you can feel on the outside of the knee. I went to the er, they said nothing is broken. Did not give me splint or anything. It is killing me. I have an appointment with a podiatrist but it is weeks away. What can this be, any suggestions on what I am dealing with are appreciated.


RESPONSE

Hi Sharon,

The simple and obvious answer is that you sustained trauma to your left foot, so the possibility of "whats wrong" is potentially endless.

The fact that initial x-rays were negative for fracture does not eliminate the possibility that there may still be a fracture. Sometimes, if they are small enough, they are missed by the person reading them, secondly, in many instances small fractures may not show up initially on x-ray and only ten days or so later will there be signs of a possible fracture.

The bigger issue from where I am sitting is that you appear to be in a lot of pain and you do not
have an appointment with a doctor for a few weeks. That is not acceptable.

Injuries resulting from trauma are best treated as soon as possible thus giving you the best chance of complete recovery.

Some of your options include calling the office where you have an appointment and telling them you sustained trauma and you are in a lot of pain and need to be seen sooner. Most well run offices are able to accommodate patients in pain.

If that option does not work, either ask around or call your local hospital and get the name(s) of other doctors in your area. Even if you have to travel somewhat, that is better than waiting weeks for an appointment.

With the type of trauma you encountered there can be a number of things that are causing you pain. As previously stated this would include possible fracture as well as soft tissue damage either to he muscles in the foot, tendons or even ligaments. It is impossible for me to know exactly what is causing your particular pain.

In the interim, until you can see a doctor, my best advice to you would be to not bear weight on the affected foot. Crutches would by your best option.

By not walking on the foot, you reduce the added trauma to the injured area that walking creates every time you take a step. Plus you will probably have less pain as well.

But as stated previously, getting to the doctor as soon as possible is what you need to do.

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

DISCLAIMER: The purpose of this site is purely informational in nature. It is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any medical condition. This information is not a substitute for advice from a medical professional. Please consult your healthcare provider for accurate diagnosis and treatment. The information presented here may be subject to errors and omissions.


SITE LAST UPDATED: APRIL 2026




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(location unknown)
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(location unknown)
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Unknown location

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Poland
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South Carolina
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location unknown


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location unknown


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location unknown


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anonymous



Dr. Mitnick, Thank you, you were 100% correct. The pain finally brought me to the ER. I spent 8 days in the hospital. The Doppler you spoke of was able to show that there was no pulse in that foot. This was an arterial clot that split and traveled throughout my leg. My leg was almost amputated. I am in rough shape but have all my parts intact!! You certainly know what you are talking about. Thank you for taking the time to answer. Yours Truly!

anonymous



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Poland



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Seattle, WA


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location unknown



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New Jersey



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location unknown



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Evansville, IA



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San Diego, CA



Dr. Mitnick, Just want to say thank you so very much for your quick response and very informative reply! After reading what you had to say, I called the doctor's office and was able to get in and see him the same day as my injury. Toe was x-rayed and luckily, it is not broken or fractured. Very badly bruised and will probably lose the toe nail. And although my toe and toe nail are still very black and blue and very sore, they ARE both starting to feel a little better. So again, thank you! I am so very happy that I came across your website. The service you provide is outstanding and immeasurable!

Rivi,

Albany, NY



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Jill S.

location unknown



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Whichita, KS



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Boston, MA



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Colorado



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Colorado

Wonderful advice

by: Anonymous

This is the best site for foot problem info.

Thank you for this information. This description fits my pain and inflammation behind my 2nd toe perfectly.

by: Max

location unknown
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Canada
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location unknown
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Wisconsin
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location unknown
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North Carolina
Many Thanks Dr Marc!
Thank you for your response. It sounds like a good plan to me. He did not cut the wart out first ...

KG

location unknown

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Bessie Mae

Florida
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Lynne T.

location unknown
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Robert

New Jersey


Thank you. you were more detailed than what others have told me they finally called from the last xrays and my son is now in a cast for 2 weeks he did have a fracture that was not noticeable.

a mom

location unknown


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Lenoir, NC


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Bellevue, WA


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location unknown

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