OverviewThere are three types of flat feet: flexible flatfoot, painful rigid flatfoot, and spasmodic flatfoot. Flexible flat feet have some arch, even if the arch only appears while the person is flexing the foot or standing on their toes.…
OverviewHeel pain is a common symptom that has many possible causes. Although heel pain sometimes is caused by a systemic (body-wide) illness, such as rheumatoid arthritis or gout, it usually is a local condition that affects only the foot…
OverviewThere are generally two kinds of leg length discrepancies. Structural discrepancy occurs when either the thigh (femur) or shin (tibia) bone in one leg is actually shorter than the corresponding bone in the other leg. Functional dis…
OverviewThis is a painful condition affecting a small nerve in the foot. It occurs when the five long bones that run the length of the foot get pushed together, pinching the nerve in between. This friction on the nerve causes it to thicken…
There are actually two unique variations of leg length discrepancies, congenital and acquired. Congenital means that you are born with it. One leg is anatomically shorter in comparison to the other. Through developmental stages of aging, t…
Overview Although many people with plantar fasciitis have heel spurs, spurs are not the cause of plantar fasciitis pain. One out of 10 people has heel spurs, but only 1 out of 20 people (5%) with heel spurs has foot pain. Because the spur …
Overview Heel spurs, or abnormal growths of the heel bone, can cause sharp pains in the heel, especially first thing in the morning and after long periods of rest. In many cases, a heel spur develops as a result of plantar fasciitis, which…
Overview Bursitis occurs when a bursa is irritated from frequent pressure and it becomes inflamed. Due to the location close the Achilles tendon, Achilles bursitis is often mistaken for tendinitis. Achilles bursitis is a common overuse inj…
Overview The smallest four toes of each foot have three bony segments connected by two joints, just as the fingers do. Hammer toes is a deformity in which one or more of the small toes develops a bend at the joint between the first and sec…
Overview hammertoes is a type of crooked toe that involve unnatural contracture, or bending, of your toes. In most cases, a hammertoe is characterized by a toe malposition in which the end of your affected toe points down and the first joi…
Overview Hallux Abducto Valgus, commonly called bunion, is a bony deformity affecting the angle of the joint at the base of the big toe. Some medical professionals believe that the condition is solely due to ill-fitting footwear, while oth…
Overview ?Pes Planus? is the medical term for flat feet. It comes from Latin, Pes = foot and Planus = plain, level ground. Very few people suffer from this condition, as a true flat foot is very rare. Less than 5% of the population has fla…
Overview Sever?s disease is repetitive micro trauma or overuse of the heel in young athletes. Sever?s is caused by overloading the insertion of the Achilles tendon onto the calcaneus and the apophyseal growth plate. Active Children (7 to 1…
Overview Achilles tendon is a strong fibrous cord present behind the ankle that connects the calf muscles to heel bone. It is used when you walk, run and jump. When the Achilles tendon becomes thin, weak, or if it is not used, it may be su…
Overview The majority of people in the world actually have some degree of leg length discrepancy, up to 2cm. One study found that only around 1/4 of people have legs of equal lengths. LLD of greater than 2cm is relatively rare, however, an…
Overview Most flat feet are not painful, particularly those flat feet seen in children. In the adult acquired flatfoot, pain occurs because soft tissues (tendons and ligaments) have been torn. The deformity progresses or worsens because on…
Overview Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction is one of several terms to describe a painful, progressive flatfoot deformity in adults. Other terms include posterior tibial tendon insufficiency and adult acquired flatfoot. The term adult acq…
