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Suggest Treatment For Swelling And Tingling In Foot After Injury
Question: A metal chair fell on my foot last week Friday. It was swollen; hurt on an off. But today it finally bruised up and it's really really bruised. Hurts to. I can feel it throbbing and tingling, going up my leg a bit. I work so I can't really stay off my feet completely. What do I do?
Brief Answer:
Please consider getting an Xray.
Detailed Answer:
It is possible that you have a fracture in your foot and may need additional support and immobilization of the foot for it to heal properly.
The only way to really know is to get an X-ray of the foot to see what is going on.
In the meantime, I would recommend:
1. Elevate the foot whenever possible. This helps decrease swelling, pressure, and pain.
2. Apply ice several times a day such as before work, after work, and at bedtime. You can do an ice message by freezing water in a small dixie cup and then tearing back the top of the cup a bit to expose the ice. Then roll the ice in circles over the area. Do this for a few minutes, then stop for a few minutes, and repeat. Or you can cover it with a cloth and put a bag of something frozen on it, such as a bag of frozen peas. Again, remove after a few minutes and reapply, so that you don't get frostbite.
3. An anti inflammatory medicine such as ibuprofen will help the pain and inflammation. You can use ibuprofen up to 600 mg up to 3 x/day. But do NOT take this if you have any history of stomach or duodenal ulcer or GERD or problems with bleeding. Or if you have any history of kidney problems. Be sure to eat before taking the ibuprofen. And I would not recommend that you take this high dose for more than a few days as it can be irritating to the stomach.
These things will help with the pain and inflammation, BUT, I would still advise that you go in to be seen and have an Xray. The appropriate treatment will follow based on the result of this.
Please consider getting an Xray.
Detailed Answer:
It is possible that you have a fracture in your foot and may need additional support and immobilization of the foot for it to heal properly.
The only way to really know is to get an X-ray of the foot to see what is going on.
In the meantime, I would recommend:
1. Elevate the foot whenever possible. This helps decrease swelling, pressure, and pain.
2. Apply ice several times a day such as before work, after work, and at bedtime. You can do an ice message by freezing water in a small dixie cup and then tearing back the top of the cup a bit to expose the ice. Then roll the ice in circles over the area. Do this for a few minutes, then stop for a few minutes, and repeat. Or you can cover it with a cloth and put a bag of something frozen on it, such as a bag of frozen peas. Again, remove after a few minutes and reapply, so that you don't get frostbite.
3. An anti inflammatory medicine such as ibuprofen will help the pain and inflammation. You can use ibuprofen up to 600 mg up to 3 x/day. But do NOT take this if you have any history of stomach or duodenal ulcer or GERD or problems with bleeding. Or if you have any history of kidney problems. Be sure to eat before taking the ibuprofen. And I would not recommend that you take this high dose for more than a few days as it can be irritating to the stomach.
These things will help with the pain and inflammation, BUT, I would still advise that you go in to be seen and have an Xray. The appropriate treatment will follow based on the result of this.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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