Question
My mother is 80 yrs old in pretty good health. She takes blood pressure med and paxil. When she was 14,she was in a car accident,where she hit her right knee against the dash.Over the years she has had trouble with her right foot hurting,occaissionaly, but in the last couple of years the pain in both her feet have caused her so much trouble that she has been but on different pain medication.  She has had xrays, nerve tests, nothing has shown up. Medication is no longer working and she has been unable to sleep for the last 2 weeks.  Walking does not help, all types of shoes have been tried, NO shoes have been tried, massage, accupressure,ice,heat, they just ache all the time.  There is no swelling, no redness,no lumps,bumps,rashes. On the right foot, underneath on the pad,there is no feeling now.  This has just happened in the last few months. She has become a nervous wreck from not sleeping.Do you have any suggestions? Her doctor is willing to try anything.
Thanks,Linda

Answer
Hi Linda,

There are 2 possible avenues to explore for her foot pain. One is that she may have problems with blood flowing into the foot.  There may be a narrowing or closing of an artery.  So she should have a vascular exam first.  This is called an arterial doppler.


The other possible cause of her foot pain involves the nerves.  She may have neuropathy even if a nerve test did not show anything.  There are medications for neuropathy including Lyrica and Cymbalta.  There is also a cream known as Capsaicin that is over the counter.  

So I would explore these avenues.

Sincerely,

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


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