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foot injury, what could it be


Loowit
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DD was outside helping move some stuff.  She was wearing sandals at the time and the bottom of her foot got hurt.  DH and her brothers were out there with her and her brother helped her come in the house.  I figured she had just stepped on something sharp, but it wasn't.  There are no holes in her sandals or any puncture wound in her foot.  It is swollen and painful just below the ball of her foot to right about where to heel starts, so pretty much the arch of her foot.  It has a strange lumpy appearance and is painful to the slightest touch.  I had her soak in cool water, mostly to clean off her feet so I could see them better.  Right now it is elevated and has ice.  She can point, flex, and move her toes without much pain.  It hurts to stand on it.  I can't figure out what she did to it.  She said she was just walking and it suddenly hurt.

 

Her brother's are getting baptized this evening at a river and she still wants to go, but I am not sure she should be up and about on her foot.  She tends to push herself a lot through pain and sometimes ends up making the healing take longer.

 

I am trying to figure out what may be wrong with her foot and if she should go tonight?

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My dd had 2 different injuries to that area of the foot last year!

 

The first time she tore a tendon (not full rupture)-- she needed a walking boot for about 4 weeks (ice helped).  She was just 'walking' when this one happened-- Dr said she probably stepped wrong-- the shoes she was wearing were NOT supportive...  She could still move her toes... had mild/moderate swelling and was in a lot of pain when standing.

 

The second time she tore a muscle (almost in half!)-- that one was again in a walking boot but for closer to 8 weeks (with no weight bearing the first 3 weeks).

Ice did not help this one...  She had 2 missteps in her first cross country meet-- the first one probably injured the muscle-- the 2nd one a few minutes later finished it off (stepped into ground squirrel hole).  She could not flex her foot so we knew something major was wrong...

 

Both injuries required her seeing a foot specialist.  We chose an Orthopedist who specialized in sports injuries (even though first one was not sports related).  Our GP would have been WORTHLESS... and would have said "rest and ice for a few weeks then come back"-- she NEEDED the extra support of the boot as soon as possible.

 

I had an injury to my fascia (again similar location)- ice helped-- my tear was significant and I had to wear a boot (no weight bearing) for almost a year!  Before that I had a few rounds of Plantar Fasciitis where rest, ice and Ibuprofen helped-- after the major injury healed I have been PF free!

 

 

Hope your dd heals quickly!

 

 

 

 

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I would take her in tomorrow due to the significant pain with walking. My first thought was insect bite but don't discount the idea she may have had something puncture it. I stepped on a sewing needle when I was little and it went all the way into my foot with NO visible marks from the outside. I had terrible pain for days and finally my mom took me in and it was found on xray. We were shocked. 

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Could she have stepped on stinging nettles?  They make multiple bumps and are horribly painful at first. 

 

ETA: photos here

SaveSave

 

if it is stinging nettle (which are very painful), there should be ferns growing nearby - rub them over the nettle bumps.  I don't remember if it's bracken ferns or sword fern - as both are native here near nettles.

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Thanks for the ideas.  It is not stinging nettle.  It was in our backyard and we don't have stinging nettle there.  There are some roots that make for some uneven ground, so it may have been that.  Could be a bug sting, but I am not sure.  It is starting to bruise though.  If it is still hurting in the morning I will take her in to the doctor.

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Thanks for the ideas.  It is not stinging nettle.  It was in our backyard and we don't have stinging nettle there.  There are some roots that make for some uneven ground, so it may have been that.  Could be a bug sting, but I am not sure.  It is starting to bruise though.  If it is still hurting in the morning I will take her in to the doctor.

 

When my mom tore the ligaments in her foot last time it was just by kind of half missing the step down into the garage. Totally minor. 

 

If at ALL possible, do go to an orthopedist rather than a regular pediatrician. Feet are incredibly complicated, especially on children, and it is SO easy for a non specialist to miss something like a minor fracture of one of the smaller bones, ligament damage, etc. Maybe ask the ped if they can recommend one. Our area has a large orthopedic practice that has their own walk in clinic. 

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When my mom tore the ligaments in her foot last time it was just by kind of half missing the step down into the garage. Totally minor.

 

If at ALL possible, do go to an orthopedist rather than a regular pediatrician. Feet are incredibly complicated, especially on children, and it is SO easy for a non specialist to miss something like a minor fracture of one of the smaller bones, ligament damage, etc. Maybe ask the ped if they can recommend one. Our area has a large orthopedic practice that has their own walk in clinic.

Agreeing 1million%.

 

We have had complicated foot injuries from minor missteps, also. All needed a boot and rest, one just barely missed needing surgery.

We always went directly to the foot specialist.

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