Serious foot pain - why?

[jduncan]

I have been on 4 dives after completing my PADI certification. About 24-48 hours after my dives (mostly 40 feet, occasional 55 feet) my feet hurt so bad I can barely walk on them. It's like a joint/bone pain in the ball of my foot and toes with some swelling. Goes away after about 5 days. Very painful. I have searched the net and found that it could be "fin foot" due to improper finning, or misfitting boots/fins. I am using a pair of split fins. I have no other issues and I am in fine health. Any thoughts?

Frustrated,

Jeff

 

[steelslinger]

Do you have a history of bone or joint damage in the area that is affected?

 

[jduncan]

Nope. As a matter of fact I had serious injury to my heel bone and have a plate and some screws - but this is nowhere near the area, and the pain I get is in BOTH feet but not the same area. My heel bone and ankle joint which were injured are fine. This is more toward my toes and ball of foot.

 

[OE2X]

I have been on 4 dives after completing my PADI certification. About 24-48 hours after my dives (mostly 40 feet, occasional 55 feet) my feet hurt so bad I can barely walk on them. It's like a joint/bone pain in the ball of my foot and toes with some swelling. Goes away after about 5 days. Very painful. I have searched the net and found that it could be "fin foot" due to improper finning, or misfitting boots/fins. I am using a pair of split fins. I have no other issues and I am in fine health. Any thoughts?

Frustrated,

Jeff

It may be that your feet and ankles are not used to finning. In otherwords you may be tightening up muscles that don't ordinarily get used in the same way. If you are wondering about DCS - it sounds highly unlikely.

 

[jduncan]

Thanks everyone. Yeah I was well within my dive table limits. It's very frustrating and very painfull. I imagine I can't be the ONLY one who has experienced this.

 

[steelslinger]

It could be an existing problem and diving is causing it to flare up or just not being accustom to finning. Barely being able to walk is extreme for gear that doesn’t have to be put on with KY jelly and a shoe horn.

 

[lord1234]

Try posting in the Diving Medicine forum....

 

[mossym]

i found that my feet got sore after switching from my volo's to my jets, the stiffer fins worked different muscles in my feet, made my feet cramp at the start, but fine now...

 

[jduncan]

It could be an existing problem and diving is causing it to flare up or just not being accustom to finning. Barely being able to walk is extreme for gear that doesn’t have to be put on with KY jelly and a shoe horn.

Well, I'm fairly active, run a charter fishing boat and am on my feet quite a bit. I walk the treadmill regularly too all without any pain. Certainly not like this.

 

[mossym]

if it is the muscles you may not be using them when you're not diving, well not as much as when you're diving anyway..