Foot Pain, Anyone?

[Melissaann829]

I've had foot pain for years, but over the past few years it had progressively gotten worse until I was finally diagnosed by my local doctor with Celiac Disease. Once following the strict gluten free diet, I found it was also helping the mysterious foot pain and slow ankle sprains healing in my feet. Am I the only one to notice/have this?

[nina]

Same here, as soon I went on gluten-free diet I got better!

[captaincrab55]

It was the shoulder pain that went away with the gluten-free die for me.. My foot pain comes and goes, but that's caused by Gout...

[rosetapper23]

Yes, to maintain tendon and ligament health, you have to be able to absorb certain minerals; hence, pain in the feet and/or joints.

[cassP]

I've had foot pain for years, but over the past few years it had progressively gotten worse until I was finally diagnosed by my local doctor with Celiac Disease. Once following the strict gluten free diet, I found it was also helping the mysterious foot pain and slow ankle sprains healing in my feet. Am I the only one to notice/have this?

ya, like 5 years ago i had a strange pain in my left foot.. well it wasnt strange- i assumed it was from standing too long or not wearing good enough shoes- but it felt like i had a ton of "stone bruises" on the bottom of my foot- like the bones were not padded. this was the same time where i was eating more wheat than normal and having malabsorption/fatty BMs. (i didnt go gluten free till 2010).

around that time was when i first heard about Celiac and asked to get tested.. as i was researching, i read somewhere online that some people with Celiac lose the fatty foot padding in their feet. this is exactly what my foot felt like.

it's gone now.

[T.H.]

plantar fasciitis disappeared and I had pulled muscles/sprains that never seemed to fully heal - 10 years old! - that finally did after only a few months gluten-free. So count me in, too!

[MargoS]

Yes-me too! I actually think this is significant and glad you brought it up (but sorry about your pain!)

For me, I had a bout of very bad food poisoning in November, followed almost immediately by painful metatarsalagia in my right foot. The pain in the foot started a week after being sick, after walking about a mile in high-heeled boots on cold pavement in DC. I went to a podiatrist and he said my feet were "normal" and it was essentialy a stress injury, and should heal in a few weeks. That took nearly 5 months. That is not normal for a healthy, active 40 year old.

Anyway, I thought there might be a correlation. Fast forward to Jan, when I had a severe reaction to eating a gluten-loaded dinner. I had never heard of Celiac, but went to the doctor, requested the tests, and it came back positive. My foot still hurt. I went for nutriotional counseling, and mentioned my foot. I was almost embarresed to bring it up (was I turning into a hpochondriac, I thought people would think...). However, my nutrionist thought it was absoultely related. It's been explained to me this way: your body is not absourbing nutrients with celiac disease. You have an out-of-control inflammatory response running through your blood and tissues. In my case, I had very low Vitamin B-12, and it takes its toll on the outer nerves (hands and feet, first). A small injury will take longer for the body to heal. He recommended lots of fish oil, B-12 shots, and a good anti-inflammatory diet. It finally has healed.

In the meantime though, I have "Blackberry thumb" of all things fromtexting. It has been months on that one as well. I decided to see a Naturopathic doctor. I was very impressed and mentioned this. She took it serious. Turns out, its too complicated for me to explain here, but there is a connection between what is going on in your gut and what is going on in your hands, feet, and other joints. Unfortunately, it may be another side effect of Celiac:

http://www.uptodate.com/contents/arthritis-associated-with-gastrointestinal-disease

Anyway-I wish more doctors were informed abour Celiac and the other symptoms and side effects of celiac disease. Its often on us to find multiple doctors who will listen, and understand what its all about. Good luck and hope your foot heals fast and you are on the mend!

[mushroom]

as i was researching, i read somewhere online that some people with Celiac lose the fatty foot padding in their feet. this is exactly what my foot felt like.

it's gone now.

That is very interesting, Cass.

Our dad, who we suspect had celiac disease, was diagnosed with polymyalgia rheumatica and was on prednisone for the last 10-15 years of his life. I saw him infrequently on visits to NZ so did not really know his symptoms, but he told my sister that he felt like he was "walking around on bags of bones." Not a symptom of polymyalgia rheumatica (I have suspected RA), but interesting to know it could have been a symptom of celiac disease.

[wheeleezdryver]

about 4.5 years ago, I developed Plantar Fascitits (tendonitis in the foot). It was another 2 years before I figured out my gluten intolerance. MY PF hasn't improved or gone away since going gluten-free, but I wear custom orthotics, so it hardly ever bothers me anyways. But I do think my PF, and all the other things I have (listed in my signature line) are either related to one of the other things and/ or related to gluten intolerance!

[rosetapper23]

Mushroom,

Your dad's description fits perfectly with my "floppy tendon syndrome" from deficiencies of zinc, manganese, and silicon. I kept telling people that it felt like the bones were floating in gelatin, and I kept getting stress fractures as a result. It took me way too long to put the pieces together. Sounds as though your dad was suffering from nutritional deficiencies. I was in a walking boot for eight months! However, both feet were painful and I fell over a lot since I truly had the sensation that the bones were not being supported. It was a miserable time, for sure--I'm sorry your dad never found out what the problem was.

[mushroom]

Mushroom,

Your dad's description fits perfectly with my "floppy tendon syndrome" from deficiencies of zinc, manganese, and silicon. I kept telling people that it felt like the bones were floating in gelatin, and I kept getting stress fractures as a result.

That is a very fitting description for me, although I think I actually have "floppy ligament syndrome" (don't know about the tendons - could be also ) The podiatrist didn't know what the heck I was talking about - this crazy woman who can't hold her foot together I had my foot jammed hard on the brake in a head-on accident and tore the heck out of the ligaments in my leg and foot - had plantar fasciitis so badly that I couldn't heel-toe for a couple of years and now wear an elasticized band around my instep to "hold my foot together" Of course I have also failed the Zinc Status Test so was terribly deficient in zinc - maybe I'd better check the manganese and silicon

[Melissaann829]

Interesting stories, everyone! Thank you! I did a self test on accident. I was feeling so much better that I decided to wean gluten back into my diet. After a week or so of that ignorant move, my feet were in pain just like they had been years ago! It was crazy! Needless to say I am back on my gluten-free diet since I've been so miserable. My stomach has been hurting and I've been exhausted, achy and stiff. My joints all hurt. Crazy.

[rosetapper23]

Mushroom,

Was the type of zinc you were taking the chelated form? I had taken regular zinc for months after my foot fractures because I had numerous symptoms of zinc deficiency, but the symptoms didn't improve. Then I read that I should be taking chelated zinc and chelated manganese--and my feet stopped hurting after only a couple of days. The silicon I take is Bio-Sil, which is great stuff.

[sherrylynn]

This is CRAZY! I also have horrible foot pain and one doc at work said he thought is was PF. My pain in my legs and feet have been so bad for so long, I went to a doc and he said I had no cartilage left in my knees and had to have surgery. So I have had total knee replacements to both knees. And still my legs hurt.

[debbie2014]

I stumbled across a cure for my foot pain without knowledge. I have had severe foot pain, primarily after rising in the morning, or being seated for a time. Once I would walk and limber up my feet, the pain would improve, but not totally. It wasn't until I read the book Wheat Belly, that I decided to give up wheat a week ago. To my amazement, my foot pain is gone after a week of being wheat free! I did a Google search to see if there was a connection to wheat and foot pain, which lead me to this site.

Edited July 24, 2014 by debbie2014

[nvsmom]

Going gluten-free helped my plantar fasciitis a great deal, and I have to admit that that one improvement really surprised me!  LOL

 

Glad you feel better.  

[1desperateladysaved]

My feet aching and plantar faschitis got a little worse initially when I went gluten free.  Both feet had plantar fas$#&is pain which had never happened before.  However, after  that the pain began to rapidly diminish and went away forever since.

[healthysquirrel]

hey I am so happy that many of you have healed. I have plantar faciitis, arthritis, tendonitis and a neuroma. I can barely walk, BUT i CAN bike everywhere. I am 3 months gluten-free. How long did it take you to see the difference, I am like 1desperateladysaved it seemed to get worse for now. Any tips?

[alicia29]

I had terrible growing pains in my feet growing up and I still sometimes get cramps in my feet. I always have to have really good support in my shoes or it hurts to stand for more than a little while.

 

[sgm405]

I've recently experienced this with my feet - "fat pad atrophy" - getting tested for celiac soon...if that is the cause, does it get better after going gluten-free?

[cyclinglady]

I don’t think plantar faciitis is related to celiac disease (but anything is possible).

Hubby had it after being gluten free for over a decade.  It resolved in about a year.  He was given shoe inserts and he massaged and stretched his feet per the doctor’s advice.  

Fat pad atrophy of the foot could be related to autoimmune but it is really common as you age.  The reason why most old ladies like me, wear sensible shoes.  My three inch heels have long been donated to charity.  And because I live in a warm climate, I wear sandals almost year round.  Come winter, I have to cram my feet into my closed toed shoes.  My feet have spread out over the years.  Ah, the perils of corporate causal dressing.  

 

[sgm405]

It's just odd because it's come on out of nowhere over the past two months, making me think it could be related.

[cyclinglady]

It could be celiac disease related.  Celiac disease is systemic and affects many organ systems.  It might be better related to connective tissue autoimmune disorders like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or scleroderma.  I guess the only way to find out is to go gluten free if you get a diagnosis (or trial the diet even if your tests results are negative).    I would not recommend any injections of “fillers” just in case your fat pad atrophy really is caused by autoimmune disease.  No studies for long term health that I have seen.  

[sgm405]

4 minutes ago, cyclinglady said:

It could be celiac disease related.  Celiac disease is systemic and affects many organ systems.  It might be better related to connective tissue autoimmune disorders like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or scleroderma.  I guess the only way to find out is to go gluten free if you get a diagnosis (or trial the diet even if your tests results are negative).    I would not recommend any injections of “fillers” just in case your fat pad atrophy really is caused by autoimmune disease.  No studies for long term health that I have seen.  

I've seen two rheumatologists and both came to the conclusion that they didn't believe I have lupus, RA, or scleroderma.  Aside from a weak positive ANA, all of my bloodwork the rheumatologist did came back normal.  I have a scope and colonoscopy coming up in a week.

[cyclinglady]

Keep us posted.  ?. Your case, like many, may help someone else with comparable symptoms.