Foot pain on top/side of foot. Foot seizing up.

[roxangella]

Hi,

A year ago I went hiking in Borneo. The trip took me by surprise and I wasn't really fit enough for it. But I managed. It was only after I got back that I noticed a pain in my left foot, on the top and slightly to the left side. I ignored it.

Months later though, it was still there, and it even seemed to getting worse. For instance, my foot would be seized up when I got up in the morning, so I was hobbling on it. The same thing would happen if I was kneeling on the floor. It would then be stiff and painful to put weight on my foot again once I stood up.

I went to the GP and they did an x-ray to see if there were any bones broken - no there aren't any. The tricky thing is that the pain would come and go -sometimes I would visit the doctor and I wouldn't be feeling any pain.

So what is it? Its been a year now, and its just as bad, if not worse than it first was. Every morning, I'm hobbling on it. My mother says its probably some kind of arthritis and I'll probably just have to live with it.

Can you suggest what it might be and some exercises that I could do to improve it?

I appreciate any advice or information that you can give,

Angela

[Heidi]

The stiffness in the mornings indicates that there is some inflammation there. It may be of the lateral ankle ligaments, or possibly a tendon.
You should get your feet assessed to see if you need arch support insoles and you should also make sure you are stretching your calf muscles several times a day as this may be linked.