Question
Hello,

About a month ago I dropped something on my foot and suffered a minor fracture at the base of the third toe.  Just a little crack.  The podiatrist showed me how to wrap it each day and put me in a surgical shoe.  A few weeks later, believe it or not, I dropped something else in the same exact spot!  My foot was very bruised but no further damage occurred.  Ever since that 2nd injury, I get the warm sensation or flushing across the top of my foot.  It happens sometimes every 3 minutes or so!  At the 4 week follow up, I mentioned it had been happening for 2 weeks now.  The podiatrist said it's either a nerve problem or something vascular.  He prescribed a 6 day course of a low dose steroid and says if it is a nerve, this will fix it.  If the hot sensations don't stop with the steroids, then it's vascular he said.  But I didn't ask what would be done about it if it's a vascular issue?  I start the steroids tomorrow and I am supposed to go back in a week to see if it stopped.  My co-pay is very expensive and I would rather not go back if not really necessary.  The bone has healed just fine and he was ready to stop seeing me except for this warm sensation I get in that foot.  Have you ever heard of this, and do I really need to be concerned about it?  Or is it usually something minor that will go away by itself?  I am 36 and healthy and the flush feeling is not painful, just strange.  Please tell me what you think!

Answer
Hi Michelle,

I would say that you likely have some nerve damage and it can resolve over time on its own.  Some people benefit from alternating warm compresses and ice for 5 minutes each.  If you have a vascular problem it should be fairly obvious and would cause pain and discoloration.  I would be surprised if you had a vascular issue.  Warmth may be from the healing process or nerve damage.

Give it some time but if the symptoms or appearance of your foot changes I would see the dr again.

Sincerely,

Marc Katz, DPM
Tampa, FL
Advanced Podiatry
www.thetampapodiatrist.com
www.tampacryosurgery.com

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