Chronic Pain in Feet and Lower Legs

I was in the Army in 1993. I went through Basic training and hurt my legs they refused to allow me to stop running every day. I ran through Basic and AIT nearly every day until 1995.

During the end of my stay in Washington state. At that time it caused me to actually fall to the ground when I ran, so they put my on medical leave from training.

I've been on it ever since.

I got out in 1996. I have tried to run since then but every time I do it hurts like hell. They swell up, turn red and start hurting mid calf on my right leg. This happens after running or being on my feet for extended amounts of time (like all day).

If I keep it up it inches its way down to my ankle and up to my knee and my left leg also starts hurting and becoming tender to the touch and very difficult to walk on.

If I straighten my foot out and point my toe it hurts, it I sit on my feet it hurts and gets worse if i roll my feet out while I sit on them. So much it makes me jump.

I take Ibuprofen and ice them and stay off them and in a few days it stops hurting.

I've taken major breaks from running and I try to stay off my feet for more than a few hours at a time (which is hard since I'm a active person).

It seems it would have healed by now, it's been 15yrs.

They took an bone scan when it first started hurting but hasn't been done since.

Does anyone have any suggestions. I can't run, I jog out to the car once in a while but if I do much of that I actually fall to the ground.

– Rachel, Williamsburg, Va

Answer by Dom: Hi Rachel, thank you for your question. I'm a running coach, not a doctor, so I can't tell you what is wrong — and I don't have a diagnosis for you. The early years of neglect seem to have turned this into a chronic condition. It's gone beyond "simple" stress fractures or shin splints or cramps, and what I can do is help you walk into a doctor's office far better prepared than you were in 1995.

1. Why one old bone scan isn't enough
2. What to take and ask for at the appointment
3. What you can safely do while you wait
4. Warning signs that mean don't wait

1. Why one old bone scan isn't enough

A bone scan (an imaging test that highlights stress injuries inside the bone) answers one question: is something wrong with the bone? Your symptoms raise others. Pain that builds with effort, swelling and redness, and a few days of rest to settle it can have several explanations, and a scan done at rest back then could not have looked for most of them.

Doctors commonly consider four areas. The first is chronic exertional compartment syndrome — muscles swell during exercise inside a tight sheath of tissue, pressure builds and it hurts; it is diagnosed by measuring that pressure before and after exercise. The second is a blood vessel problem, such as an artery squeezed by the calf muscle, which is tested with scans done while you exercise. The third is a trapped nerve. The fourth is still a stress injury to the bone.

I'm not saying you have any of these. My point is simple — each one is tested differently. Fifteen years of ice, ibuprofen and rest has kept you comfortable, but it has never answered the question of why this happens.

2. What to take and ask for at the appointment

Start a symptom diary now. Spend three or four weeks noting the date, how long you were on your feet or how far you jogged, which leg hurt, when the pain began, when the swelling and redness appeared, and how many days it took to settle. Patterns like "pain after 20 minutes of standing" give a specialist something to work with.

Take photos. The redness fades quickly, so photograph both legs while they are red and swollen and show them at the appointment. Bring a list of what you take, including how often you use ibuprofen.

Then ask for three things. First, a referral to a sports medicine doctor or musculoskeletal specialist — someone who sees exercise-related leg problems every week. Second, testing that happens after effort, not just at rest. Ask whether a pressure test, an ultrasound or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is sensible for you. Third, ask them to check the circulation and nerves in both legs.

Tell them plainly that you fall to the ground when you jog. If you feel brushed off, ask for a second opinion. You have waited long enough.

3. What you can safely do while you wait

Keep moving, but only without pain. Swimming, cycling on the flat and easy walking are sensible options if they stay completely comfortable. The moment you feel the first niggle, stop that session — don't push through it, and don't "test" the leg with another jog.

I'd recommend you hold off jogging altogether until a doctor has seen you. Falling is not a normal training problem, and repeating it only risks an injury on top of the existing one.

Break up long days on your feet. Sit down for a few minutes every hour, raise your legs when you can, and notice which days trigger the swelling — your diary will show it. Ice and ibuprofen are fine for comfort, but they don't treat the cause.

Once you have a diagnosis, the return to running is usually gradual and progressive: walking first, then short jog intervals such as one minute of jogging and two of walking, built up over weeks. Fifteen years is a long time, but it is not too late. Many people get back to easy running once the real cause is found and treated.

4. Warning signs that mean don't wait

Don't wait for the appointment if any of these appear. A calf that is hot, hard and very swollen, especially on one side, needs same-day medical attention. Swelling in one leg together with shortness of breath or chest pain is an emergency — call for help straight away.

Get seen urgently for numbness or pins and needles that don't go away, or a foot that turns cold, pale or bluish. The same goes for a leg that gives way underneath you. That is exactly what you describe when you fall, which is why I'd treat it seriously and not accept it as just part of the condition.

Rachel, you've carried this since your army days and kept looking for answers — that determination will serve you well now. Get the right tests, and I'm hopeful you will be back to moving freely.

Kind regards,
Dom

Some Other Pages You May Like