Lump in foot

[squeeksmom]

My DH got up this am with a lump in his foot. About halfway between the top and the outer side, where the bones and tendons run, on his left foot. It's red, a bit swollen, and is causing a lot of pain. Seems to be getting worse. He dropped a hunk of wood on his foot two days ago, but didn't think it hit where the lump is. And it didn't start bothering him until this am. I've had him soaking it in Epsom Salts, and he says it feels better when it's wrapped with an elastic band.
Any ideas what this is? I've told him, if it doesn't get better, it's a trip to urgent care, but I think our insurance is off cuz he's off work with a back injury, so I really hate to think about the cost of an urgent care visit with x-rays, etc.
Thanks for any help.


squeeks

 

[goatlady2]

Sounds as if it MIGHT be a broken blood vessel down deep from whatever he dropped on his foot - the Ace wrap keeps opposing pressure on it to possible help a clot form. I wouldn't soak though if this is the problem as that makes it leak/bleed more and then swell more. It could also be a tendon bruise, not showing on the surface and again the wrap would help that. Ice would be better for reducing swelling. Of course, you could always slap a comfrey poltice on it!

 

[grommit]

What was said already, and elevate it.

 

[squeeksmom]

Crimenently! It's a stress fracture of the 2nd metatarsal! Since his back injury, he's gotten a lot out of shape, and the other day he was getting up and down off the tractor while another guy was cutting the wood - dr thinks he kept coming down on foot and caused the fracture. His left side is probably weak anyway from the ruptured disc, so it's feeding off each other.
Thanks for the help you guys. He kept it wrapped and elevated till he went to the dr today, and it kept the pain tolerable.

squeeks

 

[summerthyme]

how's his calcium intake? Men often don't think about needing calcium, but osteoporosis is quite prevalent in older men as well as women...

Osteoporosis often develops if a person is off an extremity for awhile- from a bad sprain or fracture, for example. Just spending a lot of time off your feet can aggravate it.

You might want to ask your doctor about this, and what he thinks about calcium supplements, and possibly a bone scan if there seems to be a real risk factor for osteoporosis. A stress fracture in a metatarsal is painful, but not lifethreatening. One in a hip can be disastrous. (they think that in MOST falls where an older person breaks a hip, the hip actually breaks FIRST, causing the fall!)

Summerthyme