Noticed Strange Red Line On Foot And Having Pain. Is This An Infection?

Posted on Thu, 21 Mar 2013

Question: my college student daughter has complained all week of her arch in her left foot hurting her-whether she was walking or not. Now she texted me a picture of her swollen foot. There is a wide red line going on the underside of her foot from ankle bone to ankle bone. She also said that something is poking out. She's on her feet a lot walking to class as well as standing for hours in studio as she is an architecture major. I asked her if the red line was from her shoe and she said no. This sounds like an infection in her foot to me. any ideas? I'm taking her to a doc-in-a-box clinic tonight when she gets home.

Answered by Dr. Luchuo Engelbert Bain (34 minutes later)

Hi and thanks for your questions,
The very first thing shall be to actually exclude that these symptoms are not related to any trauma. With respect to her job, in some cases, some silent fracture of the tarsals bones might occur and cause this type of pain and symptoms. An X XXXXXXX with specific incidence shall be very useful in making a diagnosis.
Infections generally will have a portal of entry like a wound or a boil or something, in this case, we do not really have any. It would be a bit rare it could be an infection, but the possibility stays.
Blood tests like a complete blood count, a foot x XXXXXXX measurements of markers of inflammations and a complete physical examination should be sufficient in making a diagnosis.
As you wait to take an appointment to XXXXXXX the orthopedic surgeon, I surgeon the foot be immobilized, use ice parks if intense pain, local oral analgesics might be of help.
Thanks as I pray this helps,
Luchuo, MD.

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

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