Foot pain while walking is not always caused by plantar fasciitis, a clinical surgeon in Taipei said, adding that varicose veins can also cause pain when walking and are more common in women.
Shu Tien Clinic Vascular Surgery division head Yu Tarng-jenn (游堂振) said that a 55-year-old woman who had foot pain, especially when walking, thought she had plantar fasciitis, but her symptoms did not ease after undergoing extracorporeal shock wave therapy several times.
The woman underwent a magnetic resonance imaging scan showing she had varicose veins.
Most people think that varicose veins form in the calves, but when they occur on the sole of the foot the symptoms can be similar to plantar fasciitis, Yu said, adding that the condition is called atypical plantar fasciitis.
He said most people think that varicose veins are visible red, purple, or blue vessels that twist and can also cause pain, numbness, swelling and other easily noticeable symptoms.
“However, because people get sufficient nutrition, collagen below the skin’s surface is usually thicker and the veins are hidden,” Yu said.
Yu said that about 33 percent of women and about 15 percent of men develop varicose veins, which are most often found in people who stand for long hours, such as teachers, healthcare personnel and service industry workers.
Atypical plantar fasciitis can be treated by compression therapy, sclerotherapy or surgery, and patients should discuss with their doctors which method is best for their condition, Yu said.
People who stand or sit for long durations every day should move their legs or let them rest for a while every hour, and seek medical treatment if similar symptoms occur, Yu said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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