Hard Lump In Middle Of Foot, Red Area, Painful. Growing Bigger. Throbbing With Pain

Posted on Sun, 8 Jul 2012

Question: In the middle of my right foot I have a small hard lump, you can see a red area where the lump is, it is very painful throbbing and hard to walk on. It is not a boil or anything like that it is something inside my foot. I have been to a doctor who said she has never seen this before that it may be a small blood clot and to watch it and make sure its not getting bigger....well its bigger today and last night while lying down no pressure on my foot it throbbed like a toothache?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal (5 hours later)

Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
The painful tender lump on your foot is likely to be an abscess due to a past injury or a foreign body. Your symptoms are suggestive of an infection in the area.
You need medical care to explore the area and systemic antibiotics to control the infection. Anti inflammatory drugs and hot fomentation will also be helpful.
Getting an X-ray of the area will help further in diagnosis. I encourage you to visit your primary physician for a direct examination and appropriate management.
I hope this answers your query.
In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out.
Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Praveen Tayal.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal (2 hours later)

I have seen two doctors now and both have never seen this before and the last doctor said it was a blood clot...it is very hard to walk on. He looked very very closely with a magnifing light and saw no point on entre which proves it is not an abscess. I did not hurt it at all I wear shoes all the time and slippers at home as I have a bit of OCD when it comes to my floor I can not relax if I feel any dirt on them and if I dont wear slippers will vacuume way to much...so I know I have stepped on nothing. it is getting much sorer and harder to walk on...I am also getting shotting pains in my feet both of them ad wondering if this has something to do with the chronic pain in my hand. Ihave not been to the doctor in a year I really hardly ever go other than my hand condition I have never been sick. With the shooting pains in myfeet that make me scream in pain and the throbbing in my hands and now this little blood clot is there not something more serious that my doctors should be looking for. I paid ten bucks to have you tell me what my mother told me lol.....you need to understand it is a blood clot in one of my superficialveins and I need to know if I can walk on it will it spread up to my heart or lungs? Can I put pressure on my foot even if it brings tears to my eyes....I was told by onedoctor if something hurt you it needs medical attention. It is also feeling very cold and tingly the whole right foot that is. Please give me some insight to what this may be...thank you

Answered by Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal (4 hours later)

Hello.
Thanks for writing again.
If it is a blood clot without any history of injury then cause of spontaneous bleeding needs to be investigated. You need investigations like platelet count, bleeding and coagulation profiles and color doppler of the lower limbs to look for any clots.
Do not walk on it as it might cause dislodgement of the clot if it is inside a vein.
Keeping your foot elevated on two pillows will be helpful.
It is difficult to give a more specific opinion without an actual examination.
You need to consult your physician for blood investigations and prescription medicines.
Hope my answer is helpful.
Do accept my answer in case there are no further queries.
Regards.

Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar