tarsal tunnel?

[janelane]

Just wondering if anyone has this and if so could you describe to me what it feels like, if if my description sounds similar or just normal tightness? I know, I've googled and researched and blah blah blah, I'm just looking for personal insite.

I have a lot of issues with pain to begin with. And stupid stress problems. One of them being when I'm sitting down, I'll catch myself sort of holding my toes up, like, my foot cocked upward, pulling at those tendons that run from your toe, your arch, your ankle and up the back of your leg. I also have a problem with jiggling my feet when I'm laying around (I think it must be some sort of soothing thing from when I was little, I don't even realize I'm doing it, and sometimes I'll do it at night sort of rocking myself to sleep.) AND, when I'm standing, I tend to rock up on my tippy toes (my calf muscles are unfortunately huge because of this.) So my feet take a lot of ridiculousness.

All this stuff happens when I'm not realizing it, I've done it for years and year, I'm heading toward 30 now. I try to catch myself and stop it, DH will point it out to me to help too, but it's such an ingrained set of soothing habits it seems futile.

For about a year or so I've been having pain, and lately it's just gotten awful. That line of tendons I described is just so tight in both feet and legs. My ankles hurt. I have high arches and I swear this has made them more curved. Tendons and muscles up the front of my leg hurt, kind of burn. It hurts from the top of my foot, too, sort of in the middle of the bones leading to my big and second toe. Pushing on that from on top and the arch underneath relieves some of the pain, that's where it hurts the most, too. Wrapping them up helps sometimes, I think because it just forces me to stop tightening up. And rolling my arch on a tennis ball feels divine.

I don't know what I can do to get it to relax. I hate going to the Dr, and she usually tells me my pains are just part of my crap anyway and I'll just have to deal. I'm just wondering if I've ruined myself here and I'm going to *have* to go see someone so it doesn't get even worse. It's starting to effect my ability to work out and walk too long.

[IntlMom]

I have dealt with that too!!!! It is not terribly common, however, so doctors don't all deal with it.
Here's my story:
Around 2000 (age 30) I began noticing that my left big toe would periodically go numb if I was doing long period of standing. It would come and go, so it didn't really bother me too much. A few years later, as it began to be much more bothersome and began to stay numb longer and longer, it began to bother me more and more. In Jan of 2002 I was in my kitchen standing barefoot (which I NEVER do anymore!!), and I felt this sharp pain rip through my foot. It went from my big toe, through my arch and the inside of my ankle...right where the nerve is. I did not know what had happened at the time, but immediatley, my foot was in so much excuritaiting pain, I couldn;t put any weight on it......oh, and the foot began to go numb, working it way from the big toe, up through the arch and into the ankle area. TOTALLY FREAKING ME OUT!!!!!
Well, I went to chiropractors, did acupunture (that helped the pain a bit, but the numbness stayed the same),nuerologists, podiatrists...they all basically told me that nothing was wrong and it was in my head!!

So FINALLY, at the suggestoin of a freind, I went to a orthopedic dr that specialized in the foot. They did a bunch of nerve tests on me and finally foudn the problem......a severely pinched tarsel tunnel nerve!!! So anyway, I got orthodics, did PT, still nothing really helped. So, in November of 2002 I had foot surgery "Tarsel Tunnel Release"...like carpel tunnel, but in your foot. The pain left instantly after surgery, and the numbness got better, but the left big toe is still basically numb, it always will be now. I can feel down in the muscle area, so if you rub the toe hard I can feel it, but if you touch it lightly, I cannot feel it (like with a feather).....it makes my toe and ball always feel "squishy".....weird, I know. I hate the feeling, so I always, ALWAYS wear shoes and socks.......
So, that's my story........you can PM me for more details if you need them, or have more questions........
oh, my dr said that in his 12 years of practice, he had only done about 12 surgeries like mine.......heck, it hurt so bad that even if he had never done one before, I would have let him practice on me!!!

[janelane]

Thank you. Ah it figures, one more thing. Sorry you had to experience all that!

I get numbness, too, I forgot to include that.

I hate wearing shoes, that's probably part of the problem.

ty again. I think I'm gonna call the doc, head it off before it gets as bad as yours! I'm glad you're not in pain anymore!!

[Ceashels]

You may need to push to get to an orthopedist that specializes in the foot. They would see much more of the symptoms and recognize it sooner than someone who specialized in shoulders or spinal issues.

Sorry to hear you are in so much discomfort from it. The tennis ball idea is great so keep it up.