Foot Pain

[varillon]

I've been living with foot pain since 2001. After going to neurologists, chiropractors, and a neurosurgeon, everyone tells me it's do to a nerve fiber. There is no known injury or disease as a cause, so I'm still just waiting for my 50's and a wheelchair. I'm turning 31 this month. Orthotics have helped just a little but nowhere near enough. I know I have footdrop, the pain obviously, sometimes numbness, weak ankles, and in the last 3 or 4 years the pain has crept up into my legs and hips. A single jump gives me a splash of pain in the feet. Walking starts getting to me after about 5 minutes especially if on a hard surface. Carpet doesn't even help much. Standing still is even worse as I keep having to switch from foot to foot. That part feels like standing on a cue ball; the pain just intensifies in seconds. Pills for nerve damage did not work at all, which throws up a red flag for me even if the doctors agree with each other. Other over the counter stuff doesn't work even if it has an anti-inflammatory component.

When I first started feeling pain, it was like having shin splints. I just let it go since I had to walk to class everyday. I thought my legs just weren't used to the activity. Then one morning, I woke up, threw my legs over the bed, and tried to stand. My left foot was so numb, I could have driven a nail through it. Needless to say, I went straight down knocking my head on an oak desk and decided something was seriously wrong. I've also woken up with severe leg cramps, and to this day I can make my calves cramp by flexing them and turning my feet downward. I did find out later that I have restless leg syndrome, but I don't know if the two are related.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? It's so complicated, and I've seen so many doctors, there's little hope left. If there was a device I could strap on my legs that kept my feet off the ground when I walk, I'm sure the pain would subside completely, but I also know that not using a body part will make it wither and weaken. It just seems there is no option but to stay off my feet as much as possible. Even a cane won't help since both feet are in the same shape.