Heel pain after COVID-19 vaccine

I had heel pain for years - limping even. I saw several podiatrists, MRI of foot, wore a boot, ankle braces, and had several treatments. My final cure was learning how to buy shoes. My feet need to be snug and not slide around. Sandals with three adjustable straps are perfect. I can walk for hours with them. Otherwise, New Balance tennis shoes - always the sign of someone with foot problems! These days there are stores specialized in in shoes for problem feet. And thankfully today, there are lots of study shoes.

I thought I was going crazy. January 8, 2022 I had my first Pfizer booster (3rd jab) and within days I had joint and feet pain. I have never had hip pain and it was bad enough I needed a Cortisone injection into the bursa which relieved that pain. But the pain on the bottoms of my feet continued and gradually dissipated down to intense heel pain on one foot. So much pain that I walk like a Penguin. I am having therapy every two days which includes massage, heat, stretching, It feels good but has limited benefit. I have new Hoka shoes and inserts for plantar fasciitis which even with that much padding, only makes it tolerable to walk. Soon it will be 4 months of this and I was otherwise a healthy, active male. I will report back after the next level of diagnostics.

Have faith, I had the same heel pain last year after my first Covid shot, it lasted a whole year but I am absolutely back to normal. I could not walk or stand on that heel for any amount of time. I tried every different shoe and bought orthotics and inserts, not much helped. Hang in there, I can attest that it does go away.

I got a Moderna booster on 3/31/22. 6 days later, I got out of bed and could not stand on my right foot. The outer side of my foot was so painful. I put ice packs and heat on it for 5 days. Kept foot elevated. Only relief was taking ibuprophen every 6-8 hours. Went and saw podiatrist (Friday) who diagnosed peroneal tendonitis. Gave me an a foot brace and told to see him in a week. Next day (Saturday), my left foot was now in pain; same outer side of my foot. Saw my endo the day after (Monday). Wondering if this had something to do with Type2. They said no but observed that both feet were swollen. Said I was experiencing "foot drop" with my left foot. Nothing could be done except to take ibuprophen. Saw podiatrist four days later. Physical Therapy suggested. Started researching and found out this maybe a side effect from the booster shot. Barely walking for three weeks and all of a sudden, I had minimal pain on either of my feet.

Just as mysteriously as the problem appeared, it was now going away. Its now two months later. I'm walking, jumping and dancing again. The pain is still there if I press into the side of my foot. I showed my endo the articles I found about this possibly being a side effect. He agreed that it could be the cause but no one knows for sure. I reported this to V-Safe (CDC). They asked more questions so they could document it for their records.

Since I didnt have any foot issues before the booster, it sure points to that being the cause. However, nothing is conclusive.

I just thought I’d let you know that I’m having some ankle pain after my booster and wanted to see if anyone else experienced it too. I was pretty sure it was from the vax because I was really sick in the beginning of 2020, with what was probably Covid. There weren’t many tests available at that time and my symptoms were all the things they only said were part of Covid later. I knew it was happening again because during that March 2020 illness I had excruciating ankle, foot and calves painful with severe spasms. So, this is like that only much milder. It’s a good reminder of everything that happened to me when I had the real virus. It was waaaay worse than the vaccine.

Function VS Feeling. Studies are showing the impact COVID has on the brain. The brain sends and receives messages. Those messages manifest as SYMPTOMS they are real symptoms but they are not the problem. It’s a challenging statement but when you’ve ruled out a system and a Dr tells you that body system is functioning properly accept it. All road lead to the brain.

The PRC program at Mayo helped me so much. Cut my meds in half and restored my vision and reduced my symptoms well enough my ability to function improved.

Focusing on my symptoms was hard wiring them in to my body and my reality. We need help and we need support. Treat acute problem acutely. Chronic issues need a different mind set. I’m not the professional. I’m the patient. A professional LongHaul patient from September
2020 the struggles are real. Your symptoms are real but you body is continuing to function. We want to fix something but there isn’t a pill or procedure that will help a chronic neurological problem other that reprogramming your brain. Like stroke patients like brain injury patient. Rule out the symptoms for acute issues and the focus on tools to improve functioning.

I’ll post more tips at another time. You are not alone and everyday we learn something new. Don’t lose hope. Find new friends new drs and support. HUGs

There is a site that discussed this:
Fasciitis of the lower leg after COVID-19 vaccination

it is at :

https:www

.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8906020/

Also, I just want to say:

More than a decade ago I noticed that 'suddenly' I got plantar fasciitis PF, after I spent time with my father who had it, and around the same time I took a week+ vacation with another couple (the wife was experiencing PF at the time, and I shared a condo with that couple on the vacation). The PF symptoms came on SO suddenly after those contacts ( contacts of which took place around the same time).....I had done nothing out of the ordinary to bring it on by myself...
... that I had to believe mine had been caused by an aggressive virus that I had caught when being around the two other PF individuals. This occurred more than 15 years ago, and now I am reading that PF is associated with COVID/COVID vaccines......
(See my post just prior to this post)
Please consider it cb a virus to begin with..I KNOW I 'caught' mine from someone else..

So sorry and glad you share this article. I developed severe weakness in my legs after COVID. 3 months after I came out of my car and feel sudden pain in my right heal. I went to ER but ultrasound shows no blood clot instead chronic inflammation sprain and heal spur. 3 months later blood work shows RA no ANA test was done. 10 months later I am still suffering with the pain. Could this be misdiagnosed and treated different from RA medication.

Similar experience. After my bivalent Moderna booster, I experienced intermittent sharp pain on the outside of my left ankle. It was as if a bee stung me or a needle injected. Short, sharp pinpoint pain that lasted 5-10 seconds. This happened maybe a half dozen times over about 6 days and then went away. My husband had the same booster on the same day and when I mentioned my shooting pains, he said the night after the booster, he woke with the same type of quick sharp pain in his toe. He even checked under the blankets, thinking a bee had stung him. His pain did not reoccur. I’d never experienced any similar type pain in any part of my body before and had no such reactions to the three previous Covid vaccines. I do not suffer from any pre-existing ankle/foot issues and am generally in good health and average in physical activity for a 61 year old.
The following part of my story is likely not connected to the above mentioned sting-like pains, but it keeps playing on my mind. About 3+ weeks ago and about 2 months after my bivalent Moderna booster, I took a tumble, tripping over something and am experiencing very significant pain in the same ankle which I’d experienced the post-vaccine shooting sting-like pains. The fall did not seem great enough to create this kind of severe sprain. A Podiatrist ruled out Achilles heel issues and no break/fracture with x-ray. 25(?) days after my fall, I can’t walk stairs nor any distances with the pain. It’s worse after lying in bed immobile which makes me wonder if it’s circulatory. Also feels “heavy” and throbs at times. I have no idea if the vaccine booster created a “weakness” or predisposition for pain in that ankle or veins in that region that then created the situation whereby a minor fall/twisting is much worse because of a predisposed weakness caused by the vaccine? I have never had weak ankle issues before. Again, the post fall ankle issue may just be coincidental but makes me wonder. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and hope each of you steadily and speedily recover from any lingering pain or discomfort.