Swelling of The Top of The Foot Symptom, Causes & Questions
Understand your swelling of the top of the foot symptoms, including 6 causes & common questions.
Updated on
Reviewed by Buoy Medical Review Team
6 Possible Swelling Of The Top Of The Foot Causes
The list below shows results from the use of our quiz by Buoy users who experienced swelling of the top of the foot. This list does not constitute medical advice and may not accurately represent what you have.
Familial hypercholesterolemia
Familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetic disorder that causes LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels to be very high. The condition begins at birth and can cause heart attacks at an early age.
Rarity: Common
Top Symptoms: swollen achilles, achilles tendon pain
Symptoms that never occur with familial hypercholesterolemia: achilles tendon pain
Urgency: Primary care doctor
Gout
Gout is a form of arthritis that causes sudden pain, stiffness, and swelling in a joint. The big toe is often affected.
Rarity: Common
Top Symptoms: swollen toes
Urgency: Primary care doctor
Foot sprain
A foot sprain is damage to ligaments within the foot. The term "sprain" refers to overstretching or tearing of ligaments — the strong, fibrous bands of tissue that hold the bones together within the joints. Foot sprains are usually sports or dance injuries. Any sort of running movement that involves sud...
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Nail infection (paronychia)
Paronychia is an infection of the skin of the fingers or toes, at the place where the skin folds down to meet the nail.
Acute, or sudden onset, paronychia is caused by the staphylococcus bacteria. The organism can gain entry if the nail is cracked, broken, bitten, or trimmed too closely.
Chronic, or ongoing, paronychia is caused by a fungus. Anyone whose work requires their hands to be wet much of the time is susceptible.
People with diabetes or a weakened immune system are more susceptible to nail infections.
Symptoms include sore, reddened, swollen skin around the nail, sometimes with pus collecting under the skin.
Diagnosis is made through physical examination and sometimes skin culture to identify the organism involved.
Treatment for acute paronychia involves having a medical provider clean the wounded nail and drain any infection, and sometimes provide a course of antibiotics.
Treatment for the chronic form involves keeping the skin dry and using an antifungal medication on the affected nail.
Rarity: Rare
Top Symptoms: spontaneous finger pain, fingernail pain, fingernail swelling
Urgency: Phone call or in-person visit
Ankle arthritis
Arthritis simply means inflammation of the joints. Because the feet and ankles have many small joints and carry the weight of the body, they are often the first place that arthritis appears.
Arthritis is caused by a breakdown in the protective cartilage at the end of each joint, so that the bones begin to wear against each other and the joint becomes stiff and painful. This breakdown may be due to simple wear and tear; an injury; or from rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune condition which causes the body to break down its own cartilage.
Symptoms include swelling, warmth, and redness in the joint, and pain with movement or with pressure on the joint.
Diagnosis is made through patient history, physical examination, and imaging such as x-rays, CT scan, or MRI.
There is no cure for arthritis, but treatment is important because the symptoms can be managed to prevent further damage, ease pain, and improve quality of life. Treatment involves physical therapy, pain-relieving medications, and sometimes surgery to help repair damaged joints.
Rarity: Uncommon
Top Symptoms: swollen ankle, swollen foot, joint stiffness, pain in one ankle, ankle stiffness
Urgency: Self-treatment
Rheumatoid arthritis
Arthritis is a general term for multiple conditions that cause painful inflammation and stiffness throughout the body. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic condition that is autoimmune in nature, meaning that the body's immune system which normally protects the body by att...
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Questions Your Doctor May Ask About Swelling Of The Top Of The Foot
To diagnose this condition, your doctor would likely ask the following questions:
- Where exactly is your foot swelling?
- What is your body mass?
- Do you have a history of high cholesterol?
- Do you have high blood pressure?
If you've answered yes to one or more of these questions
Swelling Of The Top Of The Foot Symptom Checker
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Swelling Of The Top Of The Foot Symptom Checker Statistics
People who have experienced swelling of the top of the foot have also experienced:
- 18% Pain In The Top Of The Foot
- 4% Pain In One Foot
- 3% Foot Pain
People who have experienced swelling of the top of the foot were most often matched with:
- 37% Familial Hypercholesterolemia
- 37% Gout
- 25% Foot Sprain
People who have experienced swelling of the top of the foot had symptoms persist for:
- 31% Less than a week
- 26% Less than a day
- 22% Over a month
Source: Aggregated and anonymized results from Buoy Assistant (a.k.a. the quiz).
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