Keeping one step ahead of strange bony lumps on the top of your feet

Q

I’ve developed a hard bony lump on the top of each of my feet. They don’t hurt but any footwear that presses on them, such as boots, can be uncomfortable, especially on my right foot where the lump is bigger.

What are they and is there anything that can be done? A

Without examining your foot it is impossible to say what these lumps are, but I suspect they are either ganglions or prominent bones.

Ganglions are cysts filled with a jelly-like substance that develop either from a tendon, which attaches muscle to the bone, or from a joint capsule.

Although they most commonly develop near the wrists, they can also develop on the top of the feet, though their cause isn’t known.

Ganglions can be drained by a GP or nurse using a needle and syringe, but they have a habit of filling up again so the best way of getting rid of them for good is to have them surgically removed.

The other possibility, which I think is more likely as the bumps are in exactly the same place on each of your feet, is that they are the ends of the first metatarsal bone.

This runs along the inner side of the foot from the ankle bones to the big toe.

With age, the tissues in the foot do change and the cartilages in the joints become thinner.

This can result in a change in the shape of the foot, with the near end of the first metatarsal becoming much more prominent. If this is the case, then unfortunately there is nothing that can be done about it.

Ganglions can be diagnosed using ultrasound, and an X-ray can reveal what is going on with the bones.

Hopefully later on in the year when NHS services have returned to normal, your GP will be able to arrange these for you. For now, invest in some leather stretcher to make your footwear more comfortable.

Q

I’ve noticed I always get a cold at this time of year, with a runny nose and streaming eyes that last for several weeks.

As I’ve not gone anywhere to avoid getting Covid-19, I’m wondering how I could have caught it this year and if it could be hay fever? It seems a bit early in the year for that.

A

There are several things that suggest this is hay fever. Firstly, colds, which are caused by viruses, usually last around 10 days and don’t carry on for weeks. And as you say yourself, you’ve been trying to avoid catching Covid-19, which means you are far less likely to have been infected by anyone else.

Then there is the fact that you get symptoms at the same time of year.

Hayfever is triggered by pollens and at this time of year there is plenty of pollen from hazel bushes, alder, yew, willow and elm trees.

If you are allergic to any of these, it can lead to classic hay fever symptoms of a streaming, blocked nose and itchy, watering eyes.

Hay fever can make you feel tired, and some people do get a headache as well, but unlike a cold it does not cause a fever and the nasal discharge is always clear, not yellow or green.

It is possible to check for allergies using either a blood test or skin pricks, but currently due to Covid-19 these are regarded as non-essential and aren’t generally being done.

A good alternative way of knowing whether it is hay fever or not is to treat your symptoms by taking an anti-histamine, such as cetirizine or loratadine, and using a steroid nasal spray containing fluticasone, available from chemists.

They won’t do much for symptoms caused by a cold virus, but can work wonders for genuine hay fever.

Q

I’ve had a sensation of something coming down in my vagina for ages and my GP has diagnosed a vaginal wall prolapse.

She explained that normally the best treatment is surgery, but this isn’t being done at the moment, and she suggested fitting a ring pessary instead. But I am not overly keen on the idea of having something inside me for months on end.

Isn’t it uncomfortable? A

A vaginal ring pessary is a plastic or silicone device that’s inserted into the vagina to hold the prolapsed wall, and sometimes a prolapsed womb, in place. It doesn’t cure the prolapse, but it can ease the discomfort a prolapse can cause.

As long as it is the right size you should not be able to feel it, and if it is uncomfortable it means you need a different size.

Occasionally having a ring in place can cause some vaginal discharge and, if your vagina is dry, it can sometimes cause soreness but this can usually be helped by using oestrogen pessaries or cream.

Pessaries need changing every four to six months and although they can be used long term, they are usually a short-term measure used while waiting for surgery. Because of this, a lot of women are having them fitted at the moment.

It should not cause any problems with either passing urine or opening your bowels.

You can have sex with the ring in place.

But if you find this uncomfortable you can learn how to remove and replace it yourself. ● If you have a health question for Dr Leonard, email her in confidence at yourhealth@express.co.uk. Dr Leonard regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence or reply to everyone.