11 year old foot in pain.

[miller1414]

In mid April my daughter hurt her foot long jumping.  For over a month the bottom of the heel was swelled and when she put weight on the heel it felt like pins and needles.  The podiatrist put her on crutches for two weeks along with voltaren gel 2x daily and contrast soaks.  He said the tendons were inflammed.  Nothing worked till we started to do that plus soaking her foot in epsom salts.  That worked.  She felt no pain for over a week so the doc released her and said she could go back to normal activity.  They told her to do stretches for the achilles.  She did them some but they were painful.  The next week was fine.  she tapped danced and played softball.  She was at the neighbors house just walking around and she had sudden and intense pain in the back of her heel.  She had never had pain like that.  We iced it gave her motrin and soaked it in epsom salt water.  It was better the next day.  She pitched a softball game the next evening and had intense pain and a lot of swelling behind the heel around the achilles tendon mainely on the outside of the foot.  That was last monday.  Today it is stilled swelled there and now around the whole ankle.  I took her back to the podiatrist and he said ice 3x's daily voltaren gel 2x's and watched her walk and said something about the way she walked and had us to buy a $50 pair of orthotic insoles for her shoe's he said no sports for two weeks and to come back then.  My question is this doesn't seem the same as before.  her foot never swelled in the back or around the ankle last time,  is this different could she have partially torn her achilles tendon?  The doc didn't take any more x-rays or he didn't do another ultrasound.  Is there something else that needs to be done?

[Dr Vinod]

The most important thing for her is treatment followed by rest and physiotherapy. According to your history, she has not done that in a routine way perfectly. Visit an orthopaedician, go for an X-ray and based on the results let her continue her treatment. Swelling is due to inflammation or soft tissue swelling. Proper shoes and proper rest to the part she is suffering for healing is very important. Take care!