Question
I'm 18 and have had flat feet my whole life. They started bothering me when I was about 8 or 9 years old but I think I just adapted to it. Now though, they are getting worse and hurt horribly after just ten minutes of walking. My ankles are leaning inwards and have been since I can remember. I use those Dr. Scholl's gel insoles in my favorite pair of shoes and it helped minimally. What I wanted to ask about is this "thing" on the outside of both of my feet. It is about half way between my heel and toes and is under the skin. It pushes out of my foot and is clearly seen since it does not follow the shape of my foot. It doesn't hurt all of the time though. It hurts now and I have no weight on it, and sometimes when I do have weight on it it doesn't hurt. Sometimes the pain is horrible or sometimes it is just a dull ache. I have no idea what it is at all. I'm planning on going to the podiatrist within the next few months but I figured I'd ask anyway because I don't know what kind of treatment I would be getting or anything. I have no idea if this helps anything but I am a girl, 5'1 and weigh 95 lbs. Thank you so much for any time you spend trying to help me! I really appreciate it.

Answer
Hi Melissa,

The area of the foot that you describe sounds normal and is the base of the fifth metatarsal bone.  This normally protrudes to the outside of the foot.  It is also a common area for foot strain.  There is a tendon known as the peroneus brevis that attaches to that bone.  You will likely benefit from a custom orthotic device from a podiatrist.

Sincerely,

Marc Katz, DPM
Tampa, FL
Advanced Podiatry
www.thetampapodiatrist.com
www.tampacryosurgery.com
www.cryosurgerypodiatrist.com


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