Hi, I’ve Been Having A Pain On The Lateral Aspect

Posted on Tue, 21 Apr 2020

Question: Hi, I’ve been having a pain on the lateral aspect of my left foot, posterior to the 5th metatarsal, for the past three months. It’s relatively minor, but I’m a dancer and it’s been impacting my balance. The pain is worst during eversion and plantar flexion, when I rise onto the ball of the foot. I think the area of concern is the tendon of the fibularis longus, because I can feel pain in the area when I stretch it by rotating the insertion point on the 1st metatarsal away from the lateral portion of the ankle. The pain is worst in the morning when I step out of bed, and walking on it a bit reduces the pain, but any eversion aggravates it. The mild pain has been present since December, and I would like advice on how to treat it.

Answered by Dr. Shinas Hussain (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Possibility of a stress fracture must be considered.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for the query.

Possibility of a stress fracture must be considered. It is seen among dancers due to repeated impacted impact on the foot which in turn leads to minor cracks. Rarely tendinitis and plantar fasciitis can cause similar symptoms.

An X-ray is required to confirm the diagnosis. An orthopedic can help you to interpret the X-ray and to rule out a fracture.

As of now, you can take over the counter available analgesics-anti inflammatory combination like Serratiopeptidase-Diclofenac for symptomatic relief.

Hope I have answered your query.
Let me know if I can assist you further.

Thanks

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee