Question
Dear Dr. Katz,

about a 3 weeks ago the ball of my left foot started to hurt,but being a dancer,I ignored the niggle and let it go. A week later in my dance class,the pain became unbearable and I could not go on demi point [rise].The next day I went to the podiatrist and he could not tell if it was soft tissue damage or a stress fracture. Its been 2 weeks now and i have not danced since-which has been hard as I dont have many answers-except rest!! i can walk and jog lightly but when i have no shoes on and im on hard floor,I feel a little bit uncomfortable. The way I can describe the physical injury is when you firmly run your fingers horizontally along the ball of the foot,you move over a few muscles or tendons-which I cant feel on the other foot.

Thanks for your time.I hope to hear from you soon of what you think.
Dancing is my life!

Megan

Answer
Hi Megan,

It is possible that you strained the tendons and muscles in the foot.  An MRI would be the best option to evaluate the soft tissue and bone.  This should give you a definitive diagnosis. In the meantime don't do too much activity as this may hinder your recovery.  You may want to consider physical therapy also.

Sincerely,

Marc Katz, DPM
Tampa, FL
Advanced Podiatry
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