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

small hard knot discovered on the side of my foot

by Rebecca
(Tulsa,OK)

The knot I found is on the outside of my right foot just below the ankle bone. It is hard an somewhat sore. I have a lot of pain on the top of my foot around my ankle any time I have to walk very far no matter what shoes I have on but wearing heels is out of the question. Even pointing my foot down in the position of wearing heels hurts. So because of this pain I tend to sit and rub this foot and ankle and that when I discovered the knot. I do not know if the pain is related or seperate or if it is something I should see a doctor over. As a bit of history I have always had sharp pains feeling as if the arches of my foot were pulling or stretching. Even as a teenager I had this and was told I had flat feet and that it was because I had Cherokee Indian descent. Could this be why I am having problems?

RESPONSE

Hi Rebecca,

The simplest answer to your question would be if you are having pain in your foot and ankle, to the point that it is affecting your everyday activity, then yes, you should see a doctor. It should be apparent to you that this is not going away on its own.
People who are excessively flat footed can have problems in the area of the ankle. Read my section on ankle pain where I describe that when someone is excessively flat footed it actually ends up causing a mis-alignment of the ankle joint. Over time this will tend to cause pain usually either on the inside of the ankle from

an overstretching of the structures on that side or, pain on the outside of ankle from a jamming effect of the fibula jamming into the foot.
This is not to say that you cannot have pain as well on the top of the foot, which ends up being the front of the ankle..
As far as the lump on the outside of your ankle, my "guess" would be a enlargement of the peroneus longus tendon which is a tendon that comes down the side of your leg, to the outside of the ankle and then goes below the lateral malleolus or ankle bone that you feel on the outside.
Because you are excessively flat footed, two things tend to happen. One, the tendon is over worked and two, the tendon is being jammed from the pressure of the ankle bone jamming into the outside of the foot structures.
So, although I think you would get far superior care if you saw an foot specialist in your area, you might consider trying a good arch support first. The purpose of which is to better align the ankle joint by reducing your flat feet (pronation). If you can create better alignment, you might see a reduction in pain.
If you go into a drug store to buy an arch support, make sure you can actually feel it supporting your arch and therefore lift up the foot. Most of the stuff sold in drug stores and supermarkets just cushion, they do not support. Without adequate support, the device will be useless.
If that reduces your pain, then fine; if not see a foot specialist who can actually examine you and make a proper diagnosis.

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

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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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New Zealand

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Poland

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South Carolina

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location unknown

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anonymous

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location unknown

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Evansville, IA

Dear Marc

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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!

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Albany, NY

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Whichita, KS

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Boston, MA

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Colorado

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Colorado

Wonderful advice

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This is the best site for foot problem info.

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location unknown

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Canada

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Wisconsin

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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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Florida

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New Jersey

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a mom

location unknown

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Lenoir, NC

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Bellevue, WA

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Jodi

location unknown

small hard knot discovered on the side of my foot

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