Tendinitis Right Foot

[dkerby]

A ladyfriend was on the second round of first stage
qualifying for the LPGA Tour when she got a big pain
in her right foot. She went to the doctors and took
xrays. Nothing was found. The doctors said that she
most likely had tendinitis in the right foot, which
may have come form the left shoulder. Anyway they gave
her coritizone shots so that she could play. The doctor
said that her condition would most likely come back from
time to time. My friend did advance to the final stage
for the LPGA qualifying, but is concerened about the
foot problem coming back. What should she do? Thanks

[dcg1952]

In typical physician fashion I need more info---what part of her foot was hurting (bottom,top, inside,outside)? If it was on the bottom of her foot she may have had plantar fasciitis, a fancy name for inflammation of some tissue. This can usually be treated with stretching exercises, anti inflammatory meds, inserts, physical therapy and even steroid injections. If other areas of the foot are involved I would think of a stress fracture, which may not show up on a plain x-ray, but is not treated with an injection of steroid. So, if you can find out exactly where her foot was hurting I might be able to offer you/her some better advice. And best wishes on her quest.
Dr Dave

[jana]

Dear Dr. Dave,
my friend wrote about my right foot and you responded. Thank you. I would give you more information about it, because I really do not know how to treat this..This pain in right foot( outside in between the fingers and heal) keeps coming back now. It comes and goes..without me hurting it or doing anything unusual. When it comes it is strong...it makes walking difficult. In the morning, after hot shower it feels better for a while, then during the day, when I play golf it really gets bad on third or fourth hole and keeps getting worse and worse. During my last tournament after each round I was icing it and I kept eating ibuprofen, it was getting worse each day..Only when I did not put any pressure on the foot I did not feel the pain.
Is there anything you would suggest????
Thank you for your time!
Jana

[wolfman]

I'm a podiatrist. Treat quite a few athletes. Treat 5 plantar fasciitis (if that is what you have) patients everyday for 16 years.

Is the pain in the ball of your foot where the toes bend, or the arch, or the heel?

Is it central to the foot or towards the big toe or little toe?

PM me and I can probably recommend someone in your area.

IMHO - cortisone on the first visit is against the rules if you don't know what is wrong - esp. in an athlete. Ypu are a professional athlete, expect to be treated like one.

[jana]

Dear Wolfman,
thank you for your response...
The exact area...is: outside ...(between the base of a little toe and under ankle, along the outer edge of sole)...And the pain ...well it starts with moderate pain...it is hard for me to bend the foot or step hard on it...and ends with sharp pain. Then I really struggle.
Jana

[dcg1952]

Jana,
I'm a family practice doc so I'll defer to Wolfman as he has much more expertise in this area, but from your description one of the things that comes to mind is a stress fracture. Have you had it x-rayed???? And sometimes even an x-ray won't show a stress fracture and you need a bone scan. And I TOTALLY agree with Wolfman--steroid injections are certainly OK for some problems but not until you have a proper diagnosis. I'll jump out of the way and allow the specialist to take over (and keep monitoring his posts so I can learn as well!) Best of luck, Jana. Now that you have found this site you have automatically inherited several thousand fans! Get well soon! We will be cheering for you. Dr Dave