Category Archives: Foot Pain

Finally Getting Relief From My Swollen Foot

Posted by tradrmick on August 4, 2011 Comments Off

Good News!! After dealing with a swollen left foot for nearly 2 months I’m finally getting good results. I have been consistently doing a few things that seem to be making a big difference.

#1 – I’m trying to keep my feet elevated while I’m working. It took awhile to get used to this but now it seems much more comfortable than sitting at my desk. I bought a chair and ottoman that work well for sitting in and typing, much better than my old recliner.

#2 – I’m taking the dog on shorter walks and wearing my new walking shoes consistently with the Orthaheel inserts in them.


#3 – I have been wearing compression socks consistently, even when sleeping. This too took a bit of getting used to but honestly they have helped so much I’m considering wearing them consistently on both feet. If you are on your feet a lot during the day, I would definitely give them a try.

#4 – It has become apparent that my swelling was caused by a form of tendinitis and possibly aggravated by scar tissue from a snowmobile accident. At night I’ve been massaging them with fast freeze before putting on my compression sock for the night. This has made a dramatic difference in how my foot feels in the morning, it’s something I will continue to do.

#5 – I have continued with acupuncture treatments which reduced the amount of pain I was feeling. It seems that acupuncture was more effective with controlling the pain and had less effect on the swelling. However my practitioner felt that once the pain was under control the swelling would decrease as well. This may be the case but I still give more credit to wearing the compression sock.

At this point I’m not sure how long I’m going to have to keep up this altered routine, but I’m extremely happy to have increased mobility and reduced pain in my left foot. My sciatic nerve on the left side remains irritated so I’m still convinced that is part of the problem as well. I’ve been doing a couple different stretches that loosen up my hips and buttocks. I found this picture online of my favorite stretch, it really targets the area that hurts (hip socket).

As soon as I feel my foot is ready I’m going to start doing the P90X yoga routine a couple times per week. I used to do this routine whenever my back bothered me and it’s an incredible workout. I tried it when my foot first started bothering me but my foot was unable to take the strain and would swell up like a balloon afterwards.

It has not been an easy time of year to stay off my feet especially since ND summers tend to be short. At least now it feels like it is worth it since the swelling is subsiding and the pain in my foot is much more manageable. All I can say is “Don’t Ignore Pain And Swelling In Your Foot”! I should’ve addressed it right away instead of ignoring it until it became unbearable. The longer you let it go the harder it will be to get it back under control. Letting it go too long can also risk damage to the nerves which can cause long term issues, so be proactive when it comes to managing the pain and swelling.


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More On My Swollen Left Foot

Posted by tradrmick on July 19, 2011 Comments Off

Well it’s been almost 6 weeks now that I’ve been dealing with swelling in my left foot. I’ve had X-Rays to make sure I didn’t have any cracked bones and been to a couple different doctors. I apparently have scar tissue in my ankles from a snow mobile accident several years ago and this combined with soreness in my ligaments and tendons may be the source of my problems. I bought a new pair of walking shoes and immediately put a pair of Orthaheel Sport orthotics in them which seems to help. Additionally I have continued to wear a compression sock on that foot for the past 3 weeks. Once you get used to them you really don’t even notice the difference and they definitely reduce inflammation which eases the pain.


My doctor continues to tell me to stay off my foot as much as possible and elevate it for at least an hour 3 times per day. It is very apparent that when I am on my feet all day they are much more swollen at night. It’s especially bad if I take of my compression sock and get in the shower, it will swell to the point were it feels like my skin is going to burst.

At this point I’m also trying acupuncture as there is a very good practitioner in our area. This has done wonders to ease the pain as well. He is confident that if we keep the pain under control then the inflammation will ease as well. I’m a strong believer in trying various approaches to discover which approach will solve an issue. I didn’t want to go down the road of endless testing and anti-inflammatory drugs so I’m using a combination of methodologies. I have read online how many people are frustrated by a swollen foot so I hope to conquer this in order to help others.


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Sciatic Nerve Causing Foot Swelling?

Posted by tradrmick on June 23, 2011 Comments Off

This spring we spent about 6 weeks renovating 5 rooms in our house. This involved moving 2 bedrooms downstairs and moving two offices and all our exercise equipment upstairs. So needless to say this involved lots of heavy lifting and moving things up and down the two flights of stairs in our home. One of the last things we bought for the new office was a closet organizer. As we were carrying it up the stairs my leg got turned into an uncomfortable position and I felt a “crunch”. We stopped and after I “shook it off” we continued up the steps. The next morning however, I was awakened by the sharpest pain I’ve ever had in my left hip, it was absolutely unbearable!


After lying on my back for 20-30 minutes I got up and my hip was still extremely sore but as the day wore the pain lessened so I thought everything was going to be fine. The following day I didn’t notice any unusual soreness other than aches from all the work we had been doing. The next day however, when I went to take our dog for a walk I could hardly get my left shoe on. I remember thinking “that’s wierd, I wonder why my foot is swollen”. But I had sprained my ankles severely about 5 years ago in a snow mobile accident so I assumed that part of that “crunch” a couple nights ago had involved my left ankle. I started elevating my foot and icing in order to control the swelling and it seemed to help. However, whenever I wore my Teva sandals or drove extended distances in my car it would swell up again. This went on for several weeks before I realized this might not be an ankle sprain.

Another thing I noticed is when I wore my Teva sandals early in the day I would have problems all day long whereas if I put on my shoes which had Orthaheel orthotics in them, I didn’t have nearly as much pain.

I started thinking about that severe pain in my left hip a couple days before my foot initially swelled and did some online research. It turns out that an injury to your sciatic nerve can be associated with swelling in your ankle or foot. Now things are starting to make more sense. I’ve made an appointment to visit my chiropractor and see if he has any input. I’ve also decided to trade in my Teva sandals for a pair of orthotic sandals that have the Orthaheel orthotics built right in.

I plan on coming back and updating this post in a few weeks after I see how this situation resolves. Hopefully this information can help others who have unexplained swelling in their feet or ankles, it can be quite difficult to pinpoint the exact cause.


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