strange foot related issue

The Calvin · Post by **The Calvin** » 16 May 2007 21:02

for some reason today and yesterday my foot had a random cramp and it felt like i stepped on a nail. Its only in my left foot and its happened while im walking and while im playing. Its just like a random neerve firing and my foot tenses then it goes away in like 8 seconds(the pain). any ideas?

slapdash21 · Post by **slapdash21** » 17 May 2007 08:02

is it in the bottom of your foot? like in the arch? does it go away by itself, or does it help if you massage it? if you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you MAY have the same problem i do. unfortunatly, i have no idea what causes it, aside from playing for extended periods of time. it happens to me fairly regularly, but not recently because i have been playing less

mizua_r · Post by **mizua_r** » 17 May 2007 11:58

It could, and I say COULD be a muscle spasm. You can get those when you have been subjecting your muscles to larger amounts of activity than normal. Kind of like a charlie-horse. If that's what it is, I don't know what to tell you, except stretch long and well. That might help to prevent the cramps.

Chim-Chim · Post by **Chim-Chim** » 17 May 2007 12:18

This used to happen to me when I'd lace my shoes too tight.

The Calvin · Post by **The Calvin** » 17 May 2007 17:45

hmm I think if anything it is the tight lacing issue because I like my shoes to feel like they were melted to my feet. I'll loosen the bastards up and see how I fare. If that doesnt work I'll stretch my feet before I play... hmmm wait how do I do that?

gMoney · Post by **gMoney** » 17 May 2007 19:47

The Calvin wrote:If that doesnt work I'll stretch my feet before I play... hmmm wait how do I do that?

have someone hold on to your toes. if thats not an option, use a clamp of some sort or jam your foot in a door. then pull back as hard as you can until you feel pain and hear a loud popping sound.

uh do you wear good insoles like dr scholls or spenco or whatever? i'm not sure but that might help. i get that sometimes, but it's never frequent. uh and make sure to stay properly hydrated and eat yur vegetables

The Calvin · Post by **The Calvin** » 18 May 2007 02:35

no im still using my stock insoles I plan on getting some scholls soon though

Iron Clad Ben · Post by **Iron Clad Ben** » 18 May 2007 11:36

The Calvin wrote:no im still using my stock insoles I plan on getting some scholls soon though

Yeah definitely get some good insoles ASAP. I made the mistake of waiting until my injuries got really painful before finally getting some good insoles. Switch now and you'll save yourself a ton of agony.

It sounds muscle cramps in your foot. In which case gMoney's advice about staying hydrated (drinking water continuously throughout the session) and eating your vegetables is very good.

Does it hurt at all when you're NOT playing? If so, it may be some sort of soft tissue strain, like a tendon or a ligament or something. In that case, best way to address it is to give yourself warm footbaths, i.e. soak your feet in warm water for 20 minutes, twice per day if possible. I had that, it took a while for it to go away after I started doing footbaths.

Frank_Sinatra · Post by **Frank_Sinatra** » 18 May 2007 12:32

I have to disagree with that last bit. During my recent ankle sprain I was told by my doc to never use heat on the feet or ankle sprains or strains. I don't know why, but he was pretty adamant.

But I do think it sounds like cramps. I sometimes get these in my foot, when this happens I just take off my shoe and apply pressure to the arch of my foot using my hand while slowly pointing the toes up, then as far down as I can. A quick self-foot-massage might be enough.

Chim-Chim · Post by **Chim-Chim** » 18 May 2007 17:33

I sometimes get these in my foot, when this happens I just take off my shoe and apply pressure to the arch of my foot using my hand while slowly pointing the toes up

what he said

also, don't wear too tight of socks