From mysterious lump on a foot to blocked sinuses – Dr Jeff answers your health questions
DR JEFF FOSTER is The Sun on Sunday’s new resident doctor and is here to help YOU.
Dr Jeff, 43, splits his time between working as a GP in Leamington Spa, Warks, and running his clinic, H3 Health, which is the first of its kind in the UK to look at hormonal issues for both men and women.
See h3health.co.uk and email at drjeff@the-sun.co.uk.
Q) FOR the last four weeks, when I’m walking I feel like there’s a lump on the ball of my foot. There’s nothing in my shoe and no lump on my foot. What could this be?
Joseph Smith, Maidstone
A) Although the sensation of a lump in the ball of the foot is quite common, the number of times there is a solid mass there is low.
In most cases, it is caused by repeated movements done in a particular way or wearing poorly fitted shoes.
Some people naturally have a foot shape that increases pressure on one part as they walk and this can be exacerbated by poor footwear.
Medical conditions that can cause pain in the foot include; sprains, bunions, bursitis (swelling of the soft tissue pads near the bones), arthritis and a Morton’s neuroma which is a thickening of tissue around a nerve in your foot that’s been irritated or damaged.
It often causes pain in between the toes but can still feel like there is a lump present.
Even cracked skin on verrucas can cause foot pain and sometimes the sensation of a lump.
Simple acts can improve your symptoms without seeing a doctor.
These include; rest and raise your foot when you can, ice the area after walking, wear low-heeled and soft-soled shoes with plenty of room for your feet.
Decent insoles can improve symptoms by dispersing your weight across your foot.
Take painkillers and try foot and ankle stretches.
Q) I CAN’T clear my sinuses. They have been blocked for weeks though I don’t have a cold or any other symptoms. They aren’t painful. Any advice on how to clear them?
Jean Lynch, Windsor
A) When a sinus is blocked through inflammation via an allergy like hayfever or an infection like a common cold, it can result in sinusitis which is inflammation of the membranous lining of one or more of the cavities.
Generally people go to the GP with a cold lasting more than 10 days which often starts with viral symptoms that get better but then produce nasal blockage and pain.
Some people also get a temperature, feeling of pressure and/or a loss or decrease in sense of smell.
A one-sided localised sinus pain, combined with mucus discharge has a reliability of 85 per cent in diagnosing that you have sinusitis.
Without pain, loss of smell or mucky discharge, it’s more likely to be rhinitis or nasal obstruction.
A simple first step is to try an over-the-counter spray after discussion with your pharmacist.
Give it a few weeks to work and if this doesn’t help, see your doctor.