Pain in soles of both feet

[nezbutz]

Pain in soles of both feet. I am a 38 year old male and have had pain in both feet for over 3 years. The pain is less in the morning or after resting but worse when standing still. To the point where I can barely wait in a long queue as the pain is so bad. I have seen a specialist who said I have plantar faschitis but after 3-4 months of physio he has discharged me saying there is nothing he can do.

Basically if I rest my feet the pain is less but as soon as I stand for any length of time the pain becomes unbearable. I have tried most creams, ice, soaking my feet, insoles etc. I hope someone has some advice for me!

Please!

[msvee71]

Did any of you find a solution (or a cause, for that matter) to your foot pain?  I have been having chronic pain for 8+ years.  Multiple tests, multiple doctors, multiple thousands of dollars... show all normal.  

[michael702]

My feet still hurt though thankfully not as much as when I posted. I'm able to get by with most normal activities, but I try to always keep a folding chair nearby. I've been stretching them twice a day for 3.5 years since then. Maybe it helps?

[Nicknorth11]

I have the exact same issue..  I've had the problem for three years now and have pretty much given up hope of finding a viable solution.  I've been to six doctors, including podiatrists, orthopaedic surgeons, and the University of Michigan pain center.  No one has a clue what the problem is.  Several docs have had theories, but none that are at all conclusive or backed by any evidence (every test showed my feet were perfectly normal).  Ideas have included plantar fasciitis, not enough fat pad, too long foot bones, tendons being too tight, and more.  So far, I've had/tried the following:

X-rays (multiple)
CT
MRI
EMG
Blood tests looking for arthritis or rare conditions
Physical therapy
Chiropractor
Deep tissue massage
Plantar fasciitis foot splints
Cortisone injections
Solu-medrol
Gabapentin
Anti-inflammatories (Naproxyn, Motrin)
Custom orthotics (multiple)
Different shoes (many)
Cymbalta
Nortriptyline
Effexor

The anti-depressants helped me (to an extent), but the side effects I experienced from them were overwhelming.  I recommend trying these, though.  Maybe you'll have better luck with the side effects.

Also, shoes make a big difference.  I've had the best luck with running shoes (NOT walking shoes) with extremely soft rubber.  I prefer Saucony Truimphs.  My feet still kill me all day every day, but they would be worse with other shoes.

[michael702]

It sounds like you and I have a similar problem, possibly the same problem.  I'm 35yo male, normal weight, used to exercise regularly, but now I'm too busy and have too many joint problems, etc.  Here's my story to compare with yours.

Standing hurts.  They don't hurt at first, usually, but after a couple minutes, they do.  Walking and moving around hurt less, but eventually I can't stand to stay on them.  It starts as an ache, and progresses to burning.

A doctor told me it was plantar fasciitis, and gave me exercises that he said would cure it.  they seemed to help a lot, but didn't cure it, and now they're not helping at all.  My feet are not really sensitive to touch, like if they were bruised, except for, I think, from the golf ball exercise I've been doing  (place a golf ball on the floor and rub foot on it hard).  

I've been wearing these special insoles for years now.  They're the kind you bake in the oven and then stand on, and they take the shape of your foot.  They seemed to help at first, but not any more.

this is seriously impacting my ability to do almost everything.  I'm having a lot of trouble walking around the farmer's market.  I have to sit when I give lectures and have trouble when I need to writ things on the board.  I can't go to parties and try to meet women any more because they all involve lots of standing.  I'm about to start shopping for a wheel chair because I just can't tolerate standing any more.

They don't hurt in the mornings or evenings or whatever, only when I'm standing or have recently been standing, or am sitting forward with weight on them.

All my blood tests also come out normal.  I just had a crap ton of them redone, and still normal.  I also have lots of other problems.  My large joints nearly all have problems, I have sleep problems, digestive problems, and fatigue.  I don't know which might be related to the feet and which not.

I saw a podiatrist recently who suggested fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue.  She sent me to a foot expert in physical therapy to see if it could be due to problems with my posture or whatever.  He found some things to work on (not surprising), with tightness in the hips and some other areas, and gave me some exercises and things including a nerve stretch.  He thinks it's neuropathy and doesn't know if the exercises will help.


I want to get my copper level tested, but all my doctors don't think that could be an issue.  Copper deficiency can cause neuropathy and collagen problems, which might explain this, but it's also supposed to cause anemia, and I'm not anemic.  I suspect my frequent digestive upsets and the acid-controlling medicine I'm on (14 years) might cause copper absorption problems.

A friend keeps telling me it's got to be one of the tick-vectored Bartonella infections, which are known to cause sole of feet pain, or maybe Borellia.  Borellia is the genus that includes lyme disease and some related infections that aren't well characterized, don't show up on lyme tests, and are transmitted by other kinds of ticks.  We don't have many deer ticks in Florida (transmit lyme), but we do have lots of lone-star ticks, which have just been discovered to carry another species of Borellia.  I've been bitten by somewhere between 1K and 2K ticks.  I used to work on the state parks, and there are always a ton of ticks.

I'm hoping someone finds an answer to this because it's crippling me and I need it to stop.  It's been going on for years, sometimes better and sometimes worse.  It's worse now and I can't handle it.

[nezbutz]

Hi, thanks for your answers. I have had steroid injections and they didnt help. I am going to get another app with the doctor to see if I can get refered again!

Cheers.

[Dr Vinod]

Hello!

You should go to a podiatrist for a proper examination and diagnosis.

If your symptoms persist then you have to change into comfortable footwear and talk with your orthopedician for custom orthotics if required.

You should start wearing foot pads and also concentrate on proper physiotherapy, the podiatrist will refer you to an expert.

Take care!

[Dar584]

Have they given you anti inflamatory medicine?  I have had the same thing but I also have heel spurs and when ice, stretching insoles, and anti inflamatories didnt work I was given cortizone shots which helped tremendously!  I would try another specialist and tell him all you have done already and inquire about the cortizone shots.  I had to go back for them again but have now had a long stretch of relief.