Foot Pain

KittiePerry
KittiePerry Posts: 133 Member
edited November 17 in Fitness and Exercise
Okay, I am overweight so I know the main reason my feet are hurting is because I am overweight and use to be VERY inactive. I was wondering what kind of pain medication I should be taking for it? Tylenol extra strength is not help me at all for my feet. I take about 4 at a time because of my weight (304 pounds). It hurts on my achilles tendon, my heel, and like right beneath my toes the most.

Replies

  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    edited April 2015
    You should take..... see a doctor pills.


    (And random strangers shouldn't be prescribing medication and read up on liver damage....)
  • kikichewie
    kikichewie Posts: 276 Member
    Ibuprofen is better for inflammation, but I second the advice to see your doctor asap to get specific advice and rule out any issues. Also, I've never seen dosage recommendations on an OTC pill bottle that vary the dosage based on body weight for an adult. Taking too much, particularly acetaminophen, is very dangerous.....
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    Definitely doctor time.
  • KittiePerry
    KittiePerry Posts: 133 Member
    My own doctor has told me to take more before because of my body weight and such. I don't have a doctor out here.

    I will try ibuprofen for now and see a doctor on my day off which is Tuesday. I doubt I've done any live damage because I still haven't gone over the daily recommended amount of 4,000 mg. Each pill is only 500 and the most I take a day is 8.

    Anyone have any suggestions on insoles? I was thinking about asking my local pharmacy about it but wanted to ask here for some suggestions first as well. I'm thinking about getting gel insoles for heel protection since that is where most of my pain is.
  • KittiePerry
    KittiePerry Posts: 133 Member
    edited April 2015
    I was just asking to see what other people have taken by the way, this is more for suggestions until I see a doctor, not an ultimate fix. Not to mention going to the doctor means spending money. I don't have money. I JUST got my first job EVER and my first pay check is only for one day because we went in right before the pay day cutoff date and such.
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    edited April 2015
    What were you doing that brought on the foot pain? Was it exercise, and if so how much exercise, and did you build to that level over any amount of time? Also, where does it hurt? Not all painkillers work the same, and may not be much help at all depending on the cause and type of injury.
  • KittiePerry
    KittiePerry Posts: 133 Member
    grimmeanor wrote: »
    What were you doing that brought on the foot pain? Was it exercise, and if so how much exercise, and did you build to that level over any amount of time? Also, where does it hurt? Not all painkillers work the same, and may not be much help at all depending on the cause and type of injury.

    I've recently gotten a job as a cashier where I stand for about 4-8 hours a day. It mainly hurts where my achilles tendon is, the ball of my foot, and right below my toes. My arch doesn't hurt at all, basically everywhere else. I don't think I've injured myself, I think it's just a matter of getting used to being on my feet but I'd like something to at least help diminish the pain you know?
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    edited April 2015
    I don't see any reason why you shouldn't at least take OTC painkillers at a rate recommended by your doctor previously to help in the interim. If that doesn't help you should find out what it is as there are a lot of things it could be for which painkillers alone are not going to resolve.

    I'm not sure if insoles will help. In my mind, if you need insoles it's more a sign of having the wrong shoes. Plus, insoles are not going to be the same in every shoe either. But if you already know what kind of "fit" you need and know of an insole + shoe combo that will do that, why not?
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    KittiePerry wrote: »
    grimmeanor wrote: »
    What were you doing that brought on the foot pain? Was it exercise, and if so how much exercise, and did you build to that level over any amount of time? Also, where does it hurt? Not all painkillers work the same, and may not be much help at all depending on the cause and type of injury.

    I've recently gotten a job as a cashier where I stand for about 4-8 hours a day. It mainly hurts where my achilles tendon is, the ball of my foot, and right below my toes. My arch doesn't hurt at all, basically everywhere else. I don't think I've injured myself, I think it's just a matter of getting used to being on my feet but I'd like something to at least help diminish the pain you know?

    Better shoes.
  • KittiePerry
    KittiePerry Posts: 133 Member
    edited April 2015
    lishie_rebooted wrote: »
    KittiePerry wrote: »
    grimmeanor wrote: »
    What were you doing that brought on the foot pain? Was it exercise, and if so how much exercise, and did you build to that level over any amount of time? Also, where does it hurt? Not all painkillers work the same, and may not be much help at all depending on the cause and type of injury.

    I've recently gotten a job as a cashier where I stand for about 4-8 hours a day. It mainly hurts where my achilles tendon is, the ball of my foot, and right below my toes. My arch doesn't hurt at all, basically everywhere else. I don't think I've injured myself, I think it's just a matter of getting used to being on my feet but I'd like something to at least help diminish the pain you know?

    Better shoes.

    I don't even know what kind of shoes to get. The only place around here we can get shoes is wal-mart. I finally broke away from my Grandma (who did everything for me and spoiled me) and now I'm getting out of that. I just got new shoes like a week ago. I got running shoes, Avia.
  • kikichewie
    kikichewie Posts: 276 Member
    I think most insoles are a waste of money if they're not from a doctor. Maybe try asking your doctor on Tuesday what kind of shoe to buy, then save up and buy the best shoe of that type that you can find online and buy with free returns. I wouldn't buy Walmart shoes except as a last resort. Good shoes are worth saving up for. If you have insurance, you can go the insoles route.
  • KittiePerry
    KittiePerry Posts: 133 Member
    kikichewie wrote: »
    I think most insoles are a waste of money if they're not from a doctor. Maybe try asking your doctor on Tuesday what kind of shoe to buy, then save up and buy the best shoe of that type that you can find online and buy with free returns. I wouldn't buy Walmart shoes except as a last resort. Good shoes are worth saving up for. If you have insurance, you can go the insoles route.

    I will try that, I guess for now I just have to deal with pain in my feet.
  • kikichewie
    kikichewie Posts: 276 Member
    You can probably call and ask the nurse about ibuprofen before your appointment. You can also ask about alternating ibuprofen and Tylenol to get more pain relief. Nurses are a wealth of knowledge. You may have to leave a message and get a call back bc they're so busy, but most of the time you can get a quick question answered to hold you over until your appointment.
  • kikichewie
    kikichewie Posts: 276 Member
    Oh! And in the meantime, try rolling a ball like a golf ball or tennis ball under your feet (sitting or standing, try both) after your shift or even on breaks. Or roll a frozen water bottle under your feet. Feels amazing, and I can't think of any reason it would hurt or be a problem. Mostly under your arches, but I use a ball under the balls of my feet and heels too. I do it standing to control the pressure because I like to put more weight on it than I can do sitting. That should help a lot. It's like a deep tissue massage but you control the pressure.
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    kikichewie wrote: »
    I think most insoles are a waste of money if they're not from a doctor. Maybe try asking your doctor on Tuesday what kind of shoe to buy, then save up and buy the best shoe of that type that you can find online and buy with free returns. I wouldn't buy Walmart shoes except as a last resort. Good shoes are worth saving up for. If you have insurance, you can go the insoles route.

    Not all insurances cover insoles.
    And custom orthotics from a doctors office are hundreds of dollars and still a crap shoot.

    It might be worth trying the Dr Scholls insoles, I'm not sure of the cost but since you're not running and just got your first job, this is probably a better place to start than 200$+ insoles.
    KittiePerry wrote: »
    lishie_rebooted wrote: »
    KittiePerry wrote: »
    grimmeanor wrote: »
    What were you doing that brought on the foot pain? Was it exercise, and if so how much exercise, and did you build to that level over any amount of time? Also, where does it hurt? Not all painkillers work the same, and may not be much help at all depending on the cause and type of injury.

    I've recently gotten a job as a cashier where I stand for about 4-8 hours a day. It mainly hurts where my achilles tendon is, the ball of my foot, and right below my toes. My arch doesn't hurt at all, basically everywhere else. I don't think I've injured myself, I think it's just a matter of getting used to being on my feet but I'd like something to at least help diminish the pain you know?

    Better shoes.

    I don't even know what kind of shoes to get. The only place around here we can get shoes is wal-mart. I finally broke away from my Grandma (who did everything for me and spoiled me) and now I'm getting out of that. I just got new shoes like a week ago. I got running shoes, Avia.

    Is there anyway you can get to another town to try on other shoes?
    There isn't anything wrong with Wal-mart shoes since you aren't running.

    Honestly, parts of the problem is that you've got a lot of weight to lose and you've never had to stand for long periods of time before. Those two things equal pain regardless of what shoes you've got on.
    When you've lost weight and gotten used to it, your feet won't hurt as much - if at all.
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
    how old are your shoes? go to a local running store and have them do a gait analysis it is amazing how much of a difference the right shoes makes.

    url=http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker]29509743.png[/url]
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    edited April 2015
    So I'm a runner and I second the one poster's thoughts about getting the right shoes BUT if you have plantar fasciitis then what works AMAZING for that is freezing one of those 500ML bottles of water and rolling your heel over it, or doing that with a baseball or tennis ball for 5 minutes or so. If you're doing it right, it will probably really hurt at first but it definitely helps for whatever causes heel pain. I've used it a couple times when running has caused foot pain for me.

    ETA: I re-read how you just got your first job where you are required to stand on your feet for 4 - 8 hours/day. Other posters have said since you aren't running it doesn't make a difference but that's not entirely true. If you are on your feet for that long PLUS you have that much weight to lose, you need to buy the right shoes. They will make a world of difference to you. They are worth the investment - 10x over. I spent over $200 on my running shoes, and you probably don't have to spend that much but the point is that if you invest it them you will probably notice a huge difference when your job requires you to be on your feet. A few friends of mine are nurses and they invest a lot of money all the time on their shoes because they are on their feet so much and most of them are relatively normal weight, so if someone without the extra weight knows the importance of the right shoes when they're on their feet all day then it's definitely important for those of us carrying around the extra weight.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I've got a great tip for you! Try Voltaren, a topical gel. It relieves pain on the site. Also, there are stretches you can do that can greatly relieve the pain.

    http://www.runnersworld.com/tag/plantar-fasciitis

    Have you got a Dr. Scholl's foot analysis machine at a drugstore near you? It looks like this:

    http://www.footmapping.ca/
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    jrline wrote: »
    how old are your shoes? go to a local running store and have them do a gait analysis it is amazing how much of a difference the right shoes makes.

    url=http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker]29509743.png[/url]

    She isn't running.
    She's a brand new cashier, unused to standing for long periods of time.
  • lisalewis7588
    lisalewis7588 Posts: 76 Member
    I'm a certified orthotist-prosthetist (I evaluate, make, and fit leg braces, foot orthoses, and artificial limbs). Shoe inserts, whether custom or off the shelf, really only help if you have a biomechanical problem in your feet: overpronation, calcaneal eversion, posterior tibial tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, etc. They honestly won't do much if your feet are just tired from standing all day. Your feet are probably just rebelling against your sudden increase in weightbearing. Better shoes, ice!, as well as stretching/strengthening your foot and ankle complex is your best bet (this is a pretty good basic protocol http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/PDFs/Rehab_Foot_and_Ankle_4.pdf).

    That said, I haven't seen or evaluated your feet. It's best to have a medical professional's opinion before you do anything that strangers on the interwebs say.
  • kikichewie
    kikichewie Posts: 276 Member
    lisalewis7588 wrote: »
    I'm a certified orthotist-prosthetist (I evaluate, make, and fit leg braces, foot orthoses, and artificial limbs). Shoe inserts, whether custom or off the shelf, really only help if you have a biomechanical problem in your feet: overpronation, calcaneal eversion, posterior tibial tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, etc. They honestly won't do much if your feet are just tired from standing all day. Your feet are probably just rebelling against your sudden increase in weightbearing. Better shoes, ice!, as well as stretching/strengthening your foot and ankle complex is your best bet (this is a pretty good basic protocol http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/PDFs/Rehab_Foot_and_Ankle_4.pdf).

    That said, I haven't seen or evaluated your feet. It's best to have a medical professional's opinion before you do anything that strangers on the interwebs say.

    Seconded by a layperson who trusts doctors more than shoe salesmen or insoles advertisements....
  • ShibaEars
    ShibaEars Posts: 3,928 Member
    edited April 2015
    KittiePerry wrote: »
    lishie_rebooted wrote: »
    KittiePerry wrote: »
    grimmeanor wrote: »
    What were you doing that brought on the foot pain? Was it exercise, and if so how much exercise, and did you build to that level over any amount of time? Also, where does it hurt? Not all painkillers work the same, and may not be much help at all depending on the cause and type of injury.

    I've recently gotten a job as a cashier where I stand for about 4-8 hours a day. It mainly hurts where my achilles tendon is, the ball of my foot, and right below my toes. My arch doesn't hurt at all, basically everywhere else. I don't think I've injured myself, I think it's just a matter of getting used to being on my feet but I'd like something to at least help diminish the pain you know?

    Better shoes.

    I don't even know what kind of shoes to get. The only place around here we can get shoes is wal-mart. I finally broke away from my Grandma (who did everything for me and spoiled me) and now I'm getting out of that. I just got new shoes like a week ago. I got running shoes, Avia.

    Walmart sells Dr Scholl's shoes (at least here they do). They aren't the cutest, but I had a great pair with lots of cushioning that saved my back when I had to stand all day at my first job. They are relatively inexpensive as well.

    As far as painkillers, I find Motrin works best for my knee/foot pain.
  • Ckylie
    Ckylie Posts: 1 Member
    You have to choose the right pair of footwear, you need to know your foot strike pattern. A podiatrist or well equipped running shoe store can analyze your gait. I've found a great tip for you, read this following guide to finding the right one for you.

    http://wealfeet.com/
  • tisadell
    tisadell Posts: 23 Member
    Another thing that will help until you see the doctor is to soak your feet in warm water with about a quarter cup of Epsom salt and a bit of baking soda. May not cute you, but sure makes your feet smile!
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