Arthritic Foot and Ankle

Arthritis in the foot and ankle often falls into one of two categories, osteoarthritis or post-traumatic arthritis. Osteoarthritis is often called ‘wear and tear’ arthritis. As cartilage gets worn down with use over time, it can result in pain and stiffness in the joint. Post-traumatic arthritis develops in the foot or ankle as a result of injury, even one that occurred long ago.

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Achilles Tendonitis

Achilles tendonitis is a swelling of the Achilles tendon, which extends from the heel to the calf muscle. Not stretching before and after physical activity, wearing high heels, or simply having flat feet or fallen arches are all common causes of Achilles tendonitis. Tendonitis pain may be mild to moderate but the pain following an Achilles tendon tear will be sudden and severe.

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Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis occurs when the plantar fascia, a band of tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes, becomes swollen or irritated. The pain is most severe after long periods of rest and it typically subsides as your activity increases throughout the day. Plantar fasciitis is also a common injury in young athletes and those who spend long periods of time on their feet.

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Heel Pain

The most common causes of heel pain are plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis. Other causes of heel pain also include an Achilles tendon rupture, bursitis, heel spurs or stress fractures. Identifying the specific condition can be difficult and while some treatments of these conditions can overlap, each specific condition has its own treatment protocols and can worsen the condition if the wrong treatment is used.

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Heel Spur

A heel spur is a calcium deposit that causes a bony protrusion on the underside of the heel bone. Heel spurs are often caused by strains on foot muscles and ligaments, stretching of the plantar fascia, and repeated tearing of the membrane that covers the heel bone. Heel spurs are especially common among endurance athletes and those who are active with long periods of running and jumping.

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Neuroma

A neuroma is a painful condition that affects the ball of your foot, most commonly the area between your third and fourth toes. It is a benign growth of nerve tissue frequently found between the third and fourth toes. This can cause a sharp pain, burning sensation, tingling, or numbness in between the toes and in the ball of the foot. It can also feel as if you are standing on a pebble in your shoe or on a fold in your sock.

Ankle Sprain or Strain

A sprain occurs when the foot or ankle is twisted or ‘rolled’ due to an unstable step or landing position. This results in the ligaments over stretching or tearing. A simple ankle sprain will heal on its own. A high ankle sprain is more serious and can require additional stabilization in a boot or cast to allow the ligaments to heal. A strain occurs when tendons in the foot or ankle are over stretched or torn.

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Ankle Fracture

An ankle fracture or broken ankle is a fracture or multiple fractures of one or more of three bones in the ankle joint: the tibia (shinbone), the fibula (outer ankle bone), and the talus (the bone that connects your leg to your foot). Ankle fractures are painful and if not properly treated, can lead to significant, long-term complications and debility. Ligaments connect bone to bone to provide stability and are often also injured with a fracture.

Achilles Tendon Rupture

The Achilles tendon connects the muscles in the back of your calf to your heel bone. If overstretched, the Achilles tendon can tear (rupture) completely or partially. This often occurs in professional and recreational athletes. If a rupture occurs, you often hear a pop, followed by an immediate sharp pain in the back of your lower leg/ankle and have difficulty walking. Surgical and non-surgical treatments exist depending on the severity.

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Bursitis

Bursitis is a painful swelling that affects the bursae - small, fluid-filled sacs that cushion the bones, tendons and muscles near your joints. Bursitis occurs when bursae become inflamed. Bursitis often occurs near joints that have a lot of pressure on them and perform frequent repetitive motion making it a common foot injury. In most cases, bursitis occurs in the heel and the base of the big toe.

Turf Toe

Common in football and soccer players, turf toe is a sprain of the ligaments surrounding the big toe. It’s caused by a hyperextension of the toe, or bending back of the toe beyond the point of normal movement. Injury can occur from a sudden, forceful movement or repeated hyperextensions over a period of time. Pain, swelling and limited movement of the big toe are all indicators of turf toe.

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Stress Fractures of the Foot

Stress fractures are small cracks that develop in the bones of the feet and ankle. For active individuals, they are most often caused by overuse in high-impact sports like distance running. Worn out, unsupportive shoes and sudden increase in physical activity can also increase your risks. Pain from stress fractures develops gradually, increasing the more you are on your feet and decreasing when at rest.

Diabetic Neuropathy

Diabetic neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that can occur with diabetes. High blood sugar (glucose) can injure nerves. This most often occurs in your legs and feet. Some people have mild symptoms but for others, diabetic neuropathy can be quite painful and disabling. Neuropathy is a serious diabetes complication but can be prevented or slowed with good blood sugar management and a healthy lifestyle.

Diabetic Foot Ulcers

A diabetic foot ulcer is an open sore or wound commonly occurring on the bottom of the foot of people with diabetes. Ulcers can form starting as a small sore, callus or blister and grow more serious as the loss of feeling in your feet makes you unaware of the discomfort. Left untreated, diabetic ulcers can cause major infections leading to amputation. Prevention and early detection is key.

Diabetic Foot Infection

Foot infections are common in people who have high blood sugar from diabetes. Nerve damage (neuropathy) combined with poor blood supply to the feet puts diabetics at high risk for foot infections. What would otherwise be considered a simple sore, callus, blister or broken skin of any kind, on the foot of a diabetic can develop into an infected foot ulcer. If untreated the infection can lead to amputation.

Wound Care

Diabetic neuropathy causes nerve damage that reduces the feeling in a persons lower legs and feet. Reduced sensation in the lower extremities leads to smalls cuts, sores, calluses and blisters rapidly escalating into infected ulcers. Diabetics also suffer from poor blood circulation, especially to the feet. This makes wound healing very difficult. A diabetic wound that goes untreated will continue to grow and can quickly lead to amputation, sepsis and even death.

Amputation Prevention & Limb Salvage

Limb salvage is a surgical procedure that removes diseased or infected bone and soft tissue and reconstructs a functional limb by using implants and/or grafts (bone and/or skin). Managing your diabetes is the best way to prevent neuropathy, ulcers, wounds, infections and amputation. However, limb salvage technologies and treatments have advanced tremendously in the past twenty years giving patients with full blown infections that will not heal hope against amputation.

Bunions

A bunion is a bony bump that forms on the joint at the base of the big toe. It occurs when some of the bones in the front part of the foot move out of place. This causes the tip of the big toe to push toward the smaller toes and forces the joint at the base of the big toe to stick out. The skin over the bunion can be red and feel sore as well.

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Calluses

Calluses are are thick, hardened layers of dead skin on the soles of the feet. They are caused by repeated friction from the skin rubbing against bony areas or against a shoe. If you're healthy, you need treatment only if the callus causes discomfort. If you are diabetic or have other blood circulation issues calluses are more of a concern.

Corns

Similar to a calluses, corns are are thick, hardened layers of dead skin that form on the toes instead of the sole of the foot. They are caused by repeated friction from the skin rubbing against bony areas or against a shoe. They can also be unsightly but if you're healthy, you need treatment only if the corn causes discomfort (or if you hate seeing it).

Hammertoes

Hammertoe is a foot deformity that occur due to an imbalance in the muscles, tendons or ligaments that normally hold the toe straight. A hammertoe has an abnormal bend in the middle joint of the toe and usually occur in second, third and fourth toes. Depending on the severity, both non-surgical and surgical treatments are available.

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Ingrown Toenails

An ingrown toenail occurs when the skin on one or both sides of a nail grows over the edges of the nail, or when the nail itself grows into the skin. Redness, pain and swelling at the corner of the nail may result and infection may soon follow. The most common cause of ingrown toenails is wearing tight shoes or improper grooming and trimming of the nail.

Toenail Fungus

Toenail fungus grows in and under the nail. Fungus thrive in warm, moist places like shoes. Symptoms include thick, yellow, discolored toenails. Untreated, fungus can remain in a toenail for many years. It is highly contagious and can be easily passed from one person to another anywhere you are barefoot such as a locker room, dance studio or nail salon.

Plantar Warts

Foot warts better known as plantar warts are caused by a virus. They appear on the sole of the foot and often are numerous and painful. Plantar warts are highly contagious and can be passed from one person to another or even from the foot to other parts of the body. Like fungus, they can be contracted from a locker room, dance studio or nail salon.