Right foot swollen and pain at the Arch, What could be the Cause?

Dear Ask The Doctor: My right foot is swollen and the arch is painful, it has been like this for almost a month now and doctor's don't know what's wrong with it. I have had x-rays and ct scans and blood tests and been to the hospital and 3 other doctors and an orthopedic surgeon and no one can help me. I went to see an iridologist a few days ago and he said that the problem is not in my foot but my knee and massaged my knee with some of his tools and some of the pain went away but my foot is still swollen. He said it would get better in a week so I'm waiting to see if it does. But what if it doesn't get better? Please help me!!!

Dear Mellita: The pain and swelling that you are experiencing could most probably due to plantar fasciitis. This occurs due to small micro tears in the plantar fascia in the foot and collagen degeneration. This condition is usually seen in runners, persons with weak calf muscles and tendons, and those having flat feet. The pain usually is seen with the first steps when you wake in the morning, which tends to increase on standing for long periods of time and increased activity.

Most of the time x-ray of the foot will be normal and a MRI may be helpful in the diagnosis only in severe cases. The recovery time for someone suffering from plantar fasciitis is long (usually between 6-12 months). For acute pain management you may take NSAIDS, avoid walking on hard surfaces and standing up for long periods, use ice packs and wear shoes with thick cushioning.

Exercises like rolling a tennis ball or metal can under your feet, picking a piece of paper/cloth with the toes of your feet, heel stretching with a towel will strengthen the muscles of the calf and help in the recovery. In cases the pain gets worse you may need to use supportive splints or corticosteroid injections at the site of pain will help. Hope you will find the information useful, take care.