Treating Foot Pain: General Discussion

     So your foot hurts!  Where do you go from here? Probably stay off your foot as much as you can. Probably take 2-3 advils, once or even twice a day. Maybe alittle better, but its is not really getting better. 

Was there an incident that happened, or did the pain come out of the blue? One place to start is in self examination. Pretend the doctor or nurse is asking the questions. I like this order of questioning. If you do see a doctor, I love when patients come in prepared like this. 

The mnemonic goes like this---

F Family History of similar problem? Frequency of pain (how often)?


A What is your Assessment of the problem (what do you think it is)?
What part of your Anatomy is involved?


I How Intense (use Pain Scale) is the pain? What Irritates (makes it

worse)?


L With one finger, point to the exact Location of the worse pain?


E What Eases the Pain? Does the pain have an Electric sensation with it?

D What has been it’s Duration (how long has it been going on)?



O What were all the events surrounding the Onset of Pain? Are there

any Observable skin changes?


P Pain Scale (0-10) Sleeping? Getting out of Bed? During Activity? End

of the day?


Q What is the Quality of Pain (burning, tingling, dull ache, sharp,

numbness, throbbing, pulsating, etc)?


R Is there Redness? Does the pain Radiate and where to?


S How does Shoe gear or barefoot affect it (or high heels, or various

types of shoes)?


T What have you done to Treat the problem? What Treatment has

helped? What Treatment has made it worse?


U Are there Underlying Health Issues (diabetes, osteoporosis,

arthritis, poor circulation, etc.)?


V Does the pain Vary (better at different times, worse at other times)?


W Can you Work? Were you injured at Work? Does this affect your Work

shoes?

Tomorrow, I will add to this discussion, but I wish all my patients would present with the answers to these questions.