Charles V. Toman, MD - 4/14/2009

Question
Eight to 10 weeks ago, a bottle of shampoo fell on my foot
while taking a shower (no shoes, caught me totally off
guard).  I thought nothing of it till about 3 days later
when it started hurting.  The pain is minor, and feels like
a sore muscle.  In fact, it hurts most with stiffness, and
gets better as I use it.  The pain has steadily been
getting worse, but still isn't bad.  It's on the outside of
my foot (rt side of rt foot) not far from the small toe.  
At what point should I see a doctor for this?  There's no
swelling or bruising (never was), and it's not debilitating
at all.  I'm 35 years old and in good health.

Thanks

Answer
Jason,

If you have persistent or progressive pain in your foot, it may be a good idea to have it checked out.  It is very unlikely that you have anything other than a contusion of your foot, unless you had a huge full bottle fall from a pretty good height.  It is possible that you could have broken a toe, but very unlikely since you have mild pain, no swelling and no bruising.

A couple of X-rays could go a long way towards reassuring you that your foot is fine and they would confirm if there was a fracture.

If the pain continues getting worse then go see your primary care doctor, if it stabilizes and begins to improve you may consider an over the counter anti-inflammatory medication, ice and a hard sole shoe.

Hopefully, this has been helpful.  please let me know if there is a point that which you would like me to elaborate on further, or if there is some other question you would like answered.  good Luck and let me know if there is anything more I can help you with.