Foot pain - kicking studs!

[fozzyloo]

Hi all,

first time on here, looking for help desperately!

I injured my foot clearing a ball in a football match and kicked the guys studs full force. It was very sore and just felt very bruised but played the whole match. Next day it swelled up asmall bit but nothing major and was very sore to touch and just all along the top of my foot.

Over the next week or so the pain was all along the top of my foot but also felt pain kind of where the ankle meets the foot on the top and was sore putting pressure on it. For example it wud be a sharp pain along with the bruised sore feeling when i leaned against the wall (as in to stretch your calves) or stand half on the road half on a curb with my heel on the road. (sorry its the best way i can explain it). I also get pain in my toes especially my big toe, sometimes its a sort of burning pain.

I went to see a number of physios, 2 supplied me with orthotics and told me to stretch my calves, hamstrings etc. Orthotics helped but i needed them before my injury. Another physio dint know wat was wrong and referred me to s surgeon/foot specialist. He sent me for a number of mri's, and an x-ray and nothing major showed up. He said there was a small ball of fluid around my ankle but wasnt sure if this was the exact cause. I also had a steroid injection on the front part of my foot but that did nothing.

After a good few expensive sessions he said he could do an ankle arthroscopy where he puts a camera in the ankle and has a look himself. So i did that, to which he said he shaved a bit of cartilage(?) off and removed a load of scar tissue from the back of the ankle and he said i should be back running in six weeks.(i had the surgery about 7 months after getting the injury)

After six weeks it was still the same,some of the pain was actually worse. I went for another steroid injection in the middle of my ankle and that did nothing. I really want to sort this out as its costing a lot of money and cant afford to keep going to these sessions to see wats wrong.

I can run but it is very painful. Kicking a ball and playing football feels like im after kicking a rock about twenty times!

Its been over a year since ive had this problem.

Any help at all would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,

Dave

[Heidi]

Hi Dave,

You haven't mentioned what kind of treatment you have had from the physios other than stretching and orthotics. Or is that everything?

It might be worth trying a full rehabilitation program if this isn't something you have already tried. By this, I mean stretching, strengthening, proprioception (balance) etc. You may find many of these exercises uncomfortable but at this stage I think it may be necessary to push through this. Although not through severe pain.

Other things to try include acupuncture, hot packs, sports massage

[fozzyloo]

Thanks for replying Heidi. Much appreciated.

Strecthing and orthotics are basically all the treatments ive had. The first physio gave me one or two strengthening exercises but they were very sore to do. one was jumping on the bad foot over and back over a rolled up towel but was getting pain from it and it did not do much good, another was for my toes which she said were very unflexible compared to my right foot toes. it just involved stretching them up against the wall. Again that was very sore, another physio said my sore toes were probly brought on by my injury, which i think is true as i cant remember initailly having pains in them.

I havent tried acupuncture, never even thought of it to be honest but il definitely give it a go.

Massages were never tried, i dont feel like it would do much good as it feels sort of deeper than what a massage can do if that makes any sense.

As regard orthotics i have one pair but they dont fit into all my shoes so i cant wear them all the time, any idea what to do in this instance?

One physio suggested a regular mid level arch support from any chemist would do me instead of spending money on orthotics but im not sure which ones are 'mid level arch' support as they dont always say.

Thanks a million for getting back to me, very much appreciated.

[Heidi]

Mid-level, or moderate arch support insoles</a> are available lots of places. Our sister site return to fitness sells several varieties:

http://www.return2fitness.co.uk/Foot_Care/Insoles_And_Footbeds

I like the Sorbothane Sorbo-Pro insoles.

As for the exercises you were given they seem a bit extreme. I would start you at a much lower level. For example, using a resistance band to dorsiflex and plantarflex the ankle and having a towel on the floor and using the toes to pull it towards you to strengthen the small deep foot muscles.

[fozzyloo]

Heidi,

Thanks again for replying!

Would those insoles be thin enough to put in your shoe along with the original insole? and would they ok to play football in?

I have a resistance band at home but how exactly would you do those ankle exercises?

Im looking for an acupucturist to see if that will do anything so fingers crossed!

Thanks again,

Dave

[Heidi]

The insoles I mentioned are designed to replace the existing insoles.

For the resistance band exercises, have a look here:

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/ankle/sprained_ankle/strengthening.php

[fozzyloo]

Cheers Heidi for those excercises!

I wanted to get insoles for wearing in shoes that you cant take the original insole out of. Thinish ones you can wear for sport aswel. any there you would recommend?

Cheers,

Dave

[Heidi]

I think most insoles which have medial arch support and designed to replace the existing insole as otherwise they may not sit properly as they are not flat.

Sorry!

[fozzyloo]

Heidi,

Ive booked an appointment for acupuncture for next week but a lot of people who ive talked to who have had it say that it mainly just for pain relief rather than sort out the main problem. Is that true? or wud u have any ideas about this?

Also ive been doing the exercises you said and im just wondering if you have anymore that i can do?

Thanks a million

David

[Heidi]

Yes acupuncture I think is mainly pain relief. But the way I look at it is if it relieves your pain to enable you to continue with your exercises and progress further which in the long-term is going to be beneficial, then I think its worth a shot. I don't know a huge amount about it, but go to your appointment, speak to the therapist and get their opinion.

If you're finding thoses exercises too easy you have a c ouple of options. You can either shorten the section of band you are using to make it harder. Or you can progress on to calf raises and other weight bearing exercises such as lunges as well as balance exercises.

You can find examples of all of these on our site, mostly under the ankle sprain rehab section, or just search in the box at the top. Remember when you progress your exercises on you should do it gradually and only if the exercises you have been doing are pain free and comfortably achieved.