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What Causes Pain In Foot And Ankle, Cold Sweats, Chills And Finger Stiffness?
Posted on
Sun, 29 May 2016
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Sun, 29 May 2016
Answered on
Fri, 1 Jul 2016
Last reviewed on
Question : I have been having foot and ankle pain for about a month. A few years ago I had Plantar Fasciatis. About 3 days ago I got some flu virus symptoms. Cold sweats, shaking at night. And then got a lot of pain in my foot/ankles, knees, hips and back. Also some minor tingling and stiffness in my fingers. Big time lack of energy, I feel week and tired all day.
Brief Answer:
probably viral infection then...
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
if your foot and ankle pain remind you of plantar fasciitis pain then you'd be probably right, because this is a characteristic pain. The most characteristic feature of this pain is that you feel pain with your first step out of the bed. It may improve later but the first step is always painful.
Since you got fever and joint pain, this is probably an infection. If you had only one painful joint then it would mean septic arthritis but you can't have many infected joints at the same time. So this is probably caused by the systemic effects of an infection. Flu is one of the potential causes but more information (and tests) are required for more accurate diagnosis. Feeling tired/exhausted is common in such cases.
The best next step would be a visit to your doctor for clinical examination and a diagnosis. If it's a viral infection then only symptomatic treatment is prescribed like paracetamol (acetaminophen) for the fever and joint discomfort.
I hope it helps!
Kind Regards!
probably viral infection then...
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
if your foot and ankle pain remind you of plantar fasciitis pain then you'd be probably right, because this is a characteristic pain. The most characteristic feature of this pain is that you feel pain with your first step out of the bed. It may improve later but the first step is always painful.
Since you got fever and joint pain, this is probably an infection. If you had only one painful joint then it would mean septic arthritis but you can't have many infected joints at the same time. So this is probably caused by the systemic effects of an infection. Flu is one of the potential causes but more information (and tests) are required for more accurate diagnosis. Feeling tired/exhausted is common in such cases.
The best next step would be a visit to your doctor for clinical examination and a diagnosis. If it's a viral infection then only symptomatic treatment is prescribed like paracetamol (acetaminophen) for the fever and joint discomfort.
I hope it helps!
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Sounds ok. My thinking is that a flu virus caused the chills and greatly exaggerated the joint point. After significant reading seems like the foot and knee pain might be Achilles tendinitis as pain is along bottom of the foot as well as back Achilles up the calf to he back of the knee.
Brief Answer:
it could be...
Detailed Answer:
Viral illnesses cause joint pain. Some cause more than others. Influenza for example may cause significant joint and muscle pain.
Achilles tendinitis is possible with calf pain, particularly if the pain is reproduced with every step. You'd better check it with an orthopedics specialist because both conditions (plantar fasciitis and Achilles' tendinitis) need quite some time to heel and precautions need to be taken to avoid worsening or recurrence. The most significant things to keep in mind is to avoid moves that cause pain, to use soft shoes, to avoid walking barefoot and to use silicon pads for the heels. Mild stretching (painless) may help with both conditions.
Kind Regards!
it could be...
Detailed Answer:
Viral illnesses cause joint pain. Some cause more than others. Influenza for example may cause significant joint and muscle pain.
Achilles tendinitis is possible with calf pain, particularly if the pain is reproduced with every step. You'd better check it with an orthopedics specialist because both conditions (plantar fasciitis and Achilles' tendinitis) need quite some time to heel and precautions need to be taken to avoid worsening or recurrence. The most significant things to keep in mind is to avoid moves that cause pain, to use soft shoes, to avoid walking barefoot and to use silicon pads for the heels. Mild stretching (painless) may help with both conditions.
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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