20 Dec What’s this Bump on Top of my Foot?

What’s this Bump on Top of my Foot?
Many patients ask this question across the country who are plagued with this seemingly mysterious condition. Typically a bump on the top of the foot is either excess bone or a soft tissue condition.  If bone, the bump may represent a bone spur which may develop due to trauma or arthritis to an underlying joint.  If soft tissue, the bump may represent a cyst, commonly a ganglion cyst which extends from an underlying joint or tendon.  A definitive diagnosis may be made by your podiatrist using x-rays or ultrasound.  Fortunately, this condition can be treated.

A few different things can cause bumps on the top of the feet. The first cause could be “wear and tear arthritis on adjacent joints. Injury or trauma such as stubbing your toe or dropping something on your foot (can be months to years after the event) can also cause this foot condition. People with high arched or flat feet tend to be more prone to bumps on the top of the feet. Lastly, high-heeled shoes that place unwanted force and pressure on the great toe joint can lead to jamming of the great toe and pain.

So what are the symptoms? Bone spurs can often be the cause of this mysterious lump. This is the proliferation of bone at the affected joint due to a decrease in the joint space and jamming at the joint. You may also experience inflammation and pain. corns can also development over skin due to the pressure from underlying bone. Stiffness and swelling in the great toe joint or the affected joint is also a symptoms which can cause difficulty performing physical activities such as walking and running. Lastly, shooting pain associated with the irritation of a local nerve can be experienced.

There are a variety of treatment options for this “mystery condition.” NSAIDs such as Ibuprofen are often used to reduce the inflammation and pain in the joint. Shoe gear modification or re-routing of laces so they do not cross the painful area may also be required. Custom molded foot orthotic devices such as shoe inserts, turf toe, bunion pads or cut-outs are another great option. Sometimes steroid injections to decrease pain and inflammation are recommended as well as physical therapy. If none of the conservative treatments work, surgery to remove the excess bone or the soft tissue abnormality could be required.