Please note- the Foot Blogger Chick is on vacation. I have to do her work for her since she is such a slacker that she could not write in advance. I am not exactly clear why they keep her but no one around here listens to me.
Since she is not here, I am going to talk about what I want to talk about. The thing on my mind this week is foot lumps. Yes, you read that right, foot lumps. Foot lumps or foot bumps or that thingy on your foot. Whatever you call it, you know it does not belong there. I understand that the first impulse is to ignore it. Let’s talk about different foot lump scenarios.
First Question – Does it hurt?
This is always a good place to start. If it hurts, do you remember any reason why it might hurt? Did you drop a book on your foot? (Not that I would know anything about it but if you drop a book on your foot just the right way it seems that it can cause a hematoma.) Does that spot on your foot rub against your shoes and is that why it hurts? Does it hurt all the time or just sometimes? If just sometimes, when are those times?
If you are sure that you injured your foot and the lump is your body’s reaction to the injury, you might want to give it some time to heal. If you are in pain, you might want to go to your friendly local podiatrist and have it checked.
What if you didn’t injure your foot but there is a painful lump? There are several things that could cause a painful lump.
Second Question – Where is the lump?
The location of the lump will provide the next clue about the lump. A lump located on or around a joint in your foot can be arthritis. It could be gout or another form of the disease. A lump located at the base of the big toe, then it may be a bunion. Or a bump located at the base of the little toe is also a bunion. Bunions are due to a misalignment of the bones in the foot. Depending on the severity, you may need to have corrective surgery. Only your friendly local podiatrist can talk to you about the severity of a bunion.
A ganglion cyst can also form on the top of your foot or at your ankle. A ganglion cyst is a fluid filled cyst that can feel hard. Ganglion cysts can grow slowly and will occasionally go away on their own. If it continues to grow, you may need to see the doctor to have the cyst aspirated or removed.
If the lump is not on a joint of the foot or a fluid filled cyst like a ganglion, then we move to traumatic and infections as causes of foot lumps. Traumatic causes like broken bones or hematomas would be something you would remember. It could also be a sting or bite injury that causes a lump.
Infections of the foot can also cause lumps. If you have warts, there can be a lump or lumps. If you have an ingrown toe nail, that can also cause a lump. An abscess or cellulitis can also cause a lump to form.
Third Question – Do I go to the doctor?
That is the trickiest question. For some things, you need to go to the doctor and get in right away but for others you can watch them and see if they clear up given a little time. You can ALWAYS go to the doctor and you won’t be wrong. You can be wrong not going when it is something serious and you ignore it.
REMEMBER – IF YOU ARE RUNNING A FEVER
OR
THE AREA IS RED AND INFLAMED
OR
IF YOU SEE RED STREAKS GOING UP FROM THE SORE
– GO TO THE DOCTOR OR EMERGENCY ROOM IMMEDIATELY.
There are much more serious reasons for foot lumps and we will explore those next week. The Foot Blogger Chick will be out next week too.
Waldo