The easy answer is go to the doctor. But you know that, and you are trying to rationalize not going which is why I assume you are asking. The foot does have lots of little bones, it is quite a complicated structure.

We dont know you, your body, your age, your financial and insurance situation.

If you have insurance, keep in mind it is the beginning of the new year and so this will benefit you the whole year through as it applies to deductible.

If you are 25 years old and it still hurts 2 weeks later that is odd. If you are fifty, you are healing slower and it may still just be healing.

Palpate your foot, deeply. Where is the pain, is it muscular?

If it was me, and I am spectacular klutz, 50 years old, very in-tune with my body, have first aid training, I would palpate, assess, then do some therapy for a week, Sounds like you have been icing but now is time for more: rub with arnica, soak in epsom salts, and 2x daily massage and gently stretch, give each little piggie an elongating tug, flex them left and right, knead the joints where the piggies attach, knead the bottom and ball of foot. I would do this for a week and then make a decision.

If you're going to go to any doctor at this point, go to an orthopedic specialist.

Agree, but depending on your insurance you may need a referral from a GP to do that and still be covered.

I agree with localeater, do what she says as one more week isn't going to change what has already occurred. Good luck, fingers crossed her suggestions will do the trick.

If it were me, I would not go. If you were even only 20% better, I'd say the same thing. The key is that it's healing. If you had a fracture or something serious like that, not only would your foot not be healing, you'd be in worse shape right now.

Keep in mind that the foot is where the nerve endings are, so feet problems tend to be very painful. In addition, you walk on them all day long, and that puts a lot of pressure on feet. I'd say that, if you're 80% healed, you're on your way and I'd spare the doctor visit and cost. If you want to speed up the last 20%, stay off your foot, if you can.

What about a podiatrist?

There is no one here who should be giving you medical advice, truth be told. Not even a doctor, nor me, a PT.

No one can safely or remotely reasonably tell you to NOT get evaluated by a doctor. If you do have a fracture, callus formation has started and good luck with a healing fracture that mends incorrectly.

If you have the money, heck, beg and borrow if you have to, but go see a doctor.

I hope it's a false alarm.

Even for "just" bruising and spraining of the foot, I would expect the recovery to be more than 2 weeks. I would follow localeaters last paragraph and see how you feel in another week.

Depending on your insurance, I'd go see an orthopedic doctor or podiatrist, and have an xray, to make sure you didn't break any of the zillion tiny bones in your foot.

Now that the swelling has decreased, it will be easier for them to assess. You don't want to mess around with your foot-- you need it! ;-)

I will add if when you palpate your foot, if you feel a very sharp pain, then you possibly have a break and should head to the doctor.
My brother broke a bone in his foot, when he was in his 20's, while skiing. A child fell in front of him and he had to quickly jump to avoid colliding with him. Just the quick flexing he did when jumping and lift his legs over the child's head broke a bone.

You should go to the doctor. My 39-year-old daughter was on a cruise ship for work (I know, I know). She slipped on a wet spot on the deck and fell. At first was more embarrassed than anything. A little while later her foot really started hurting, swelled and began to bruise. The on-ship doc said she broke it, put her in a boot and told her to see a doc on dry land. She did. It was broken all right, but fortunately didn't need surgery. She was in a boot on crutches for 6 weeks. She's quite fit and it really set her back.

I broke a toe, fourth, and my podiatrist said it would take 6 weeks to heal and it did. He just taped it with band aids together with the adjacent toe. Called the buddy system!.

A young friend of mine injured her foot. Her insurance was a very conservative health co-op that stressed wellness and "waiting" to see if things resolved. They didn't xray her foot. Weeks later it still hurt, only not as badly. Yes, it was healing, but there was a fracture and it wasn't aligned properly for healing correctly. They had to rebreak her foot and put it in a cast.

Go to a doctor!

I would probably see a podiatrist; I find them better with foot problems than most orthopedic surgeons (and way less expensive).

I find it a shame that you don't value your health highly enough to see a doctor when you clearly suspect something is wrong.

So true Oakley, we don't need negativism while asking for an opinion.

It is sad to me that many threads get polluted by people who feel the need to mock or insult. Oh well. It is a public forum. You don't get to choose who you interact with.

i personally wouldn't see a podiatrist about a foot injury...

i probably would see how it goes for a while longer since it's been 2 weeks already... even if it was a fx, it is unlikely that it would need to be set/pinned, etc and you've been walking on it anyway. take it easy. limit the weight you put on it and your activity. some tissue injuries/sprains take a long time to completely heal! use a crutch/cane if you feel the need for added support... don't injure yourself somehow else by having too exaggerated a limp!!

My DIL hurt her foot last spring, and it was slow to get better before she went to the doctor and x-rays found a fracture in a small bone along the outside of her foot, called a Jones fracture. Turns out that there is not great a blood flow in that area, and she needed to have surgery and a pin. Not to scare you but some foot injuries are difficult to heal.

Yes, you should see an orthopedist about your foot. I would not see a podiatrist for injury or break, but rather for chronic problems. I know fine orthopedists and podiatrists both, just passing along what I lersonally would do. Good luck!

In defense of podiatrists, they do surgery and are on staff at hospitals. They prescribe meds. They do everything an m.d. or d.o. does but only below the knee. They treat fractures and suspected fractures all day long. The one I know was accepted into medical schools but instead chose this route.

not the least uncalled for Oakley and yayagal.

Hmmmm....do I go to the doctor when I am concerned that something is wrong OR do I not go and risk permanent damage to my foot? That's called realism.

In the emergency department, we refer people with foot injuries including fractures - to podiatrists.

Westsider, there is not a single board certification for podiatrists; rather, there are many different organizations and standards through which a DPM can be certified, some being more rigorous than others. Just something to consider.

Please just see your doctor and you don't need to go to a specialist. Your own GP (hopefully !!) can see if your foot is broken or sprained and might be able to wrap it and send you on your way. You can do incredible damage if your foot is broken and you don't get it healing properly.... Good luck.

@kswl2, same thing for other physicians; MANY different paths to become board certified.

I will not speak to whether or not the OP should see a doctor. However, as someone who has suffered a foot injury after rolling my ankle/foot while running, I will speak to my experience. I stupidly continued to run several miles but it was only when I finished that I realized I could barely walk. I was not home when it happened and was meeting my dd to take her to an orthodontist appt then heading out of town for a weekend. I couldn't walk, so had to be seen. While dd was in the orthodontist office, I sat in my car trying to get an appt with a sports orthopedics practice my kids have used. No same day appointment was available. I then called a sports orthopedics practice dh used for an injury. I was specifically told that they referred all foot injuries to a podiatrist and they gave me recommendations for several. The podiatrist saw me within an hour and I had an x-Ray right there in his office. I did not appear to have a fracture, but rather tore some ligaments and ended up in a boot for several weeks. I'm not sure, KSWL, what your expertise is in this area, but apparently the orthopedics office in my area disagrees. I was extremely satisfied with my treatment and have since learned of several friends who have had foot injuries who were treated by the same podiatrist. I would have no hesitation going back. I didn't feel he was any less qualified than the four different orthopedic surgeons my family has seen in the last 18 months (three broken arms/wrists and a broken thumb).

Mdkn: There is one board certification for each branch of surgery for physicians all under the aegis of the American Board of surgery. Not the same for podiatrists. All board certified orthopedic surgeons sit the same exam. All podiatrists, certified by several different organizations, do not sit the same exam.

There are many different training "paths" but at the end, all orthopods have the same certification. Not true for podiatrists.

4boys, i am merely saying there is no single standard of certification for podiatrists. Period. Some podiatric certifying organizations have more rigorous standards than others; i understand the top two are rigorous and i would gladly receive care from a podiatrist certified by one of those two organizations., but not all of them.

@ kswl, Not one board certification for each branch, not all are under ABS.
http://www.absurgery.org/default.jsp?publiccertprocess

http://www.aobos.org/content/103/certification.aspx

http://www.abpsus.org/surgery

Mdln, the first two are essentially equivalent organizations, one for MDs and the other for DOs, but you are correct, they are separate. The other, however, is an offshoot that came into being in 2005 and whose members are not even allowed to call themselves "board certified" in some states.

If you don't want to look into your doctor's credentials it makes no difference to me, but I don't understand why you would discourage anyone else from doing so. I would trust a referral from an existing provider, as 4boys was given, but as a careful and informed consumer I would make it my business to read his or her credentials before I just picked a name off a list.

@ kswl, LOL, I am on a credentialing committee and look at credentials on a daily basis. Friends laugh when they tell me how great their doc is and I ask where did they go to medical school, do their residency, fellowship, where are they on staff, do they have a faculty teaching appointment at a medical school, etc.

The first thing I did was look at the doctor's credentials before I gave him a call. His name was familiar to me but it wasn't until dh met me at his office that I found out why. Dh had been to him many years before and recognized him when he got there. I should have mentioned that I did, and always do, check credentials.

kswl~ For a minute I thought I was sleep posting again !

For some reason, most people do not even perform the simplest checks on service providers, it is very odd I agree. I think it is the "mine is good" syndrome....you know, in surveys where the majority agrees that schools generally are terrible but their schools are excellent....same with doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants and babysitters!

kswl2: Would you please share the top two certifying organizations for DPM's? I, too, have been referred by an orthopedist to a podiatrist and would like to know more.

Kswl2, I did not know that about board certification for DPM's. I absolutely do check creds, always and see highly respected doctor's doctors.

My podiatrist is also my cousin but I would see him if he were from outer space. Just not for brain surgery.

So, how's your foot feeling?

lizbeth: they are the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery and the American Board of Podiatric Medicine. Qualifying with ---check with your local hospital for their requirements for privileges, as there IS regional variation.

Mimi---my foot? If so, it's fine.

deee_gw, how is your foot? You really need an x-ray of the foot. I would suggest an M.D. no matter what specialty. Can you go to a walk-in clinic?

I see I'm not the only one popping in to see how your foot is.

Thanks, kswl2!

Voila said, "Can you go to a walk-in clinic?" Great pun and you didn't know it! LOL.

I too want to know how the foot is.

Thanks for thinking of me! My foot is better. Weirdly, it hurts the most when I wear my expensive, super supportive running shoes.

I did make an appt to go to the Dr next week. I live in a small town so I don't have many Dr choices. Urgent care and my GP do not have imaging services so I decided to go straight to a specialist's office that has imaging services. The office of the ortho group in town is a chaotic zoo so I am going to a podiatrist who is the husband of a friend.

I'll let you know the outcome.

Glad to hear you are going to get to the bottom of your painful foot with a doctor. Interesting that I just heard from a younger friend who is a running buddy. She has been having some pain in the ball of her foot but no known injury per se. She also does pure barre once a week as cross-training. Turned out she had a fracture of the sesamoid bone. I had to look this up, but your foot actually has 2 small pea-sized bones just below the toe in the area of the ball of the foot.

As many have pointed out, there are many small bones in the foot you could have injured, not to mention the associated tendons, etc. So hang in there, deee, and rest that foot. My friend was told to lay off any running and pure barre for at least a month.

Update! Went to the podiatrist and got an xray on a fancy standing machine. No broken bones. He poked and prodded which didn't feel horrible but didn't feel great. He gave me a small dose of prednisone and an expensive ($150!) support bandage. He said that if my foot was not significantly better in one week that he wanted to see me again.

Thank you for all your advice and support.

Ouch! Though I hope the support bandage helps speed up your healing, the cost is a bit painful for a bandage. That must be some bandage!

Thanks for the update. Hope you are 100% better soon!