Anybody ever have chronic foot pain that has lasted a long period of time (i.e. at least a year) which gets worse after walking?

I've gone to a podiatrist who has tried taping my feet, giving me cortizone shots and prescribing me pain medication. None of these have worked.

Any suggestions?

if yu have flat feet, he could make you orthotics. he could do electric stim to take away the pain

Did your podiatrist suggest custom orthotics to you? They can make a huge difference in dealing with foot pain [depending on what the cause of the foot pain is].

I don't have flat feet.

The taping of the feet was supposed to simulate what the orthotics would provide. Being that the taping did nothing for my pain, my podiatrist assumed that orthotics would do nothing as well.

Thanks for the suggestion though.

I think custom orthotics can deal with problems other than flat feet or pronation. If you're having constant pain from walking you most likely have some type of biomechanical foot problem that needs to be rectified in order to alleviate the pain. I know someone who had very high arches and had surgery which solved the problem. You need to find out from your podiatrist what specifically is causing the pain.

Did the podiatrist take a series of x-rays of your feet when you were examined?

He actually had me get MRIs of my back as he thought there might be some problem with my spine causing the pain. He was wrong.

OK, but did he take x-rays of you standing with weight on both feet and with weight on only each one? These types of x-rays provide very different type of information than an MRI of your back would.

More importantly, if you've been going to this podiatrist for a year and are finding no relief with the treatments he has recommended, you might seriously want to consider going to another podiatrist. I'm not sure where you live, but I have someone in NJ who I thought was very good, if you're in the area.

I've actually only gone to this guy about five times. I've had the pain for over a year. i just never did anything about it until the one year anniversary.

What would the x-rays of my feet show?

X-rays will show the position of the bones in your feet when you have weight on them and when you don't, which might indicate what the problem is. In addition to helping diagnose someone with high arches or someone with low arches/flat feet, it should also pinpoint things such as heel spurs. In addition to the x-rays, your podiatrist hopefully had you walk back and forth in a hallway to observe how you are walking. If you pronate when you walk (i.e. your foot turns), this would be readily visible from watching you walk, as would a number of other problems.

My point is, lots of things can contribute to chronic foot pain, and it's important that you go to a podiatrist who knows what diagnostic tests to perform that will help pinpoint the cause of your pain. At a minimum, your Dr. needs to take a series of foot x-rays and have you walk back and forth for him, if only to rule out some potential causes of your pain.

Good luck!

Just off the top of my head it sounds like plantar fascitis. what else are your symptoms? Is the pain worse in the AM?

Agreed.

For someone I know, gel shoe inserts with a hole (it comes with stuff to fill the hole if you don't want it) from Rite Aid took away the most pain.

i work in footwear at a Sporting goods store so I hear kvetching all day long about everything that does and could go wrong with one's feet. the gel inserts are a great save! I have full length low profile gel inserts in my shabbos shoes and im my community where i'm doing alot of shabbos visiting around the community they save me from the muscle pains. I'd suggest that first. if doesnt work. find out if you pronate(turn feet inward) or supinae when you walk/run(feet tilt out from heel strike point to toe off.)

if not that I'd change your shoes, ive seen worse enough cases of PF(plantar Fasciaitis) that people come in with custom shoes, with mamish 3" of midsole padding, and 4-5" in the heel where there are metal cushion springs. this lady described her morning as the worst part of the day just putting on her morning slipper feels like walking on burning coals. I would not want to have that feeling.

some excellent cushion/support running shoes i'd recommend checking out

Ascis 2130
Ascis Gel Nimbus

Mizuno Wave Rider 11, Wave Inspire 4

Adidas Supernova Cushion

Ryka-this brand is women's specific walking/fitness shoes.

Nike Air Pegasus, Air Max Moto+6

let me know if it gets any better from here.