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

Pain in the top right ankle/hinge area of the right foot. Any sock or shoe that I put on the rt. foot feels alot tighter than on the left.

5 years ago, intense pain started in the heels of both feet. The usual modalities were tried, cortisone injections, taping, stretching exercises, rolling of the heels on a frozen water bottle and stretching exercises. None of these worked! X-Rays were taken to rule out bone spurs and unfortunately the podiatrists at the time were not wise enough to insist on MRI'S of the feet because if they had I wouldn't be writing this now;( because 3 years later I insisted that MRI's be done and the MRI'S SHOWED NOTHING WRONG WITH THE FEET (FASCIIA)! But at that time the VA podiatrists said that surgery was my last option. They wanted to go in and with minimal invasivness release the fasciia to try and correct my condition, again, that I had on both feet. So surgery was done on the left foot ( without MRI'S); I was hopping around for a month on an already painful right foot using crutches and the surgery did not help the pain in the left foot! What did happen though as a result, is I now have a definitely higher arch on my right foot than on my left! PAIN, soon set in, in the top right front hinge/ankle area!! Any shoe or even most socks that I wear cause the pain in that area ( the top rt. front hinge/arch/ankle area) to become more and more painful the longer I have them on. Another thing that resulted is that ANY SOCK OR SHOE that I have worn since that time feels ALOT TIGHTER on my right foot than on my left!! Now all this, (besides the heel pain), was not around before the surgery; so my question is this. Can walking around with one foot having a definite higher arch than the other causing me to feel off balance, cause the pain I feel, in the ( top rt. front hinge/arch/ankle area AND be the cause of ANY SHOE OR SOCK that I wear to feel definitely tighter on my right foot than on my left? Or could it have been the hopping around I did on an already painfully heeled right foot? Or even both? Because all I know is that these problems were not there before the surgery and started 2-3 months afterwards!! This caused me to lead a very, very sedentary lifestyle

and that has since caused alot of other problems! Since it was, and still is, MUCH more painful to stand or walk then when I just had the heel pain, and that was improving somewhat through pool and physical therapy before the surgery. But the podiatrists told me that they had a really good cure rate so I went for it, again, (without them insisting on MRI'S beforehand)! Thank You Very Much, Gus

RESPONSE

Hi Gus,

I am confused in one area of your narrative in that you state that you never had an MRI before the surgery, but then you state "" because 3 years later I insisted that MRI's be done and the MRI'S SHOWED NOTHING WRONG WITH THE FEET (FASCIIA)"", so I am not sure if you ever actually did or did not have an MRI.
I will say this, I would never operate on someone for heel pain without doing an MRI because there are a multitude of other conditions that can cause heel pain, plus one does need to know the condition of the plantar fascial ligament before releasing it.
So, that is problem number one. Problem number two is that one of the complications of plantar fascial release surgery is that it allows the arch to flatten because the ligament is no longer holding up the arch. Therefore, I think your right arch appears higher not so much because it has enlarged, but rather because your left arch has shortened.
I agree with you that hobbling around on a painful right foot, while waiting for the left foot to heal, which it did not, could cause injury to your right foot and ankle.
I cannot really help you from here, but I would suggest you find yourself another podiatrist who is not affilitated with the VA and get yourself a second opinion.
I would think MRI's would be appropriate at this point, plus I would recommend you have your gait analyzed in an effort to spot any abnormalities in the way you walk, which could also be a contributing factor to the pain you are having. This is going to take some "outside the box" thinking on the part of your doctors because both feet hurt and that factor has to be addressed as well in any treatment offered to you.

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

MY PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS(items I prescribe in the office)

Orthotics for multiple types of foot pain best buy in a pre-made orthotic click link below

Orthotics for heel and arch pain for those who must wear dress shoes click link below

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(location unknown)

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(location unknown)

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(location unknown)

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Unknown location

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Sincerely

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Arizona

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Florida

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Poland

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South Carolina

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unknown location

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location unknown

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location unknown

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Bre

location unknown

Dr. Mitnick, Thank you so much for your reply. I did let my physician know and they took an x-ray - all is well! Also, thank you for providing this wonderful site, it is very helpful with lots of useful information! I appreciate your gift of time! God bless.

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!

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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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location unknown

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Evansville, IA

Dear Marc

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Russ W.

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location unknown

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Jackie

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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Jackie

Whichita, KS

thanks again, this site is very helpful.

mark

Boston, MA

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....Keep up what your doing. Your a life saver.

Michelle

Colorado

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annielou

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

Again, I really appreciate that you responded to my inquiry, and that your mention of Parkinson's helped me to find my way to a diagnosis of this difficult to diagnose disease. Most patients see on average 16 doctors before they are diagnosed. I hope that you can help other people that ask for your expertise in the future.

Barb D.

Canada

I just wanted to say that I am very greatful for this website!! I have had a fusion in my rt foot and am finally getting a little bit better......

Bonnie

location unknown

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Nancie

Wisconsin

Thank you for your response. You have provided some great insight (to my question)....

Julie

location unknown

Thank-you so very much for responding so quickly and in such detail to my question!! I will give my surgeon a call today!! This website is terrific!!!! Thank-you again!

Renae

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

Thanks again doc for having this website and we STILL need qualified Podiatrists in beautiful sunny Tampa Bay (Bradenton) Florida.

Bessie Mae

Florida

Dear Dr. Mitnick, Thank you so very much for taking your time to answer my question. You have greatly relieved my anxiety related to the continual tingly I feel in my feet. I will share your response with my podiatrist next week. God bless you for having this question and answer page on your website! Most gratefully,

Lynne T.

location unknown

Your webpage is excellent, I commend you on sharing your knowledge to the public.

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

I have read your website and I have to admit that I am amazed at all the information that is on here. I have learned more than the three years I have been going to several doctors that I have seen!!

Melody

Lenoir, NC

Thank you so much Doc for a quick and thorough response!

Rustam

Bellevue, WA

I cannot thank you enough for your response, opinion, and suggestions! I want you to know how much it means to me, and I'm sure everyone else who has ever asked you a question! I feel like you're a lifesaver and have empowered me to take a stronger role and stand up for myself and my feet!

Jodi

location unknown

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Pain in the top right ankle/hinge area of the right foot. Any sock or shoe that I put on the rt. foot feels alot tighter than on the left.

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