OverviewThere are two types of flatfeet. Flexible flatfoot means that the foot has some arch, even if it only appears when the person flexes the feet or stands on the toes. This is a normal condition that is generally painless and does not…
OverviewEvery time you take a step, one of your heels has to support the whole weight of your body. As you move, the load is equal to 20 times your own body weight. The load is softened by a pillow of fat under the heel and a large sinew o…
OverviewLeg length discrepancy, or as it has been alternatively termed, the short leg syndrome, is by far the most important postural asymmetry. Limb length discrepancy is simply defined as a condition where one leg is shorter than the oth…
OverviewA neuroma is a thickening of nerve tissue that may develop in various parts of the body. The most common neuroma in the foot is a Morton?s neuroma, which occurs between the third and fourth toes. It is sometimes referred to as an i…
There are not one but two different types of leg length discrepancies, congenital and acquired. Congenital means that you are born with it. One leg is structurally shorter in comparison to the other. Through developmental phases of aging, …
Overview A common cause of heel pain is the heel spur, which is a bony growth on the underside of the heel bone. The spur, visible by X-ray, appears as a protrusion that can extend forward as much as half an inch. When there is no indicati…
Overview A heel spur is a deposit of calcium on the heel bone. This calcification takes the form of a bony protrusion, which can cause considerable pain when standing and walking. This foot problem is closely related to plantar fasciitis, …
Overview In the foot we have a unique situation in that between the shoes that we wear and the ground that we walk on various parts of the foot are constantly being ?micro? traumatized meaning that every time we take a step we do a small a…
Overview A hammer toe can be defined as a condition that causes your toe to bend downward instead of pointing forward. While it can occur on any toe on your foot, it usually affects the hammertoes second or third toe. If your baby toe curl…
Overview A bunion forms when the bursa (a sac of fluid at friction points between the tendons and bone in some areas and between bone and the skin in others) becomes inflamed along the edge of the joint at the base of the big toe. There ar…
Overview Overpronation is a condition in which the foot rolls excessively down and inward. The arch may elongate and collapse (or ?fall?) and the heel will lean inward. Overpronation should not be confused with pronation. Pronation is a no…
Overview Another name for Sever?s Disease is calcaneal apophysitis. The heel bone is called the calcaneus. Sever?s Disease is heel pain thought to be caused by inflammation around the growth plate in the calcaneus (apophysis). It is most l…
Overview The Achilles tendon is a conjoined tendon composed of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles with occasional contribution from the plantaris muscle, and it inserts on the calcaneal tuberosity. The plantaris muscle is absent in 6% to…
Overview Shortening techniques can be used after skeletal maturity to achieve leg length equality. Shortening can be done in the proximal femur using a blade plate or hip screw, in the mid-diaphysis of the femur using a closed intramedulla…
Overview Many patients suffer from a ?collapsing arch? or ?flat foot? which can cause pain, instability and difficulty while walking. This condition is more commonly known as Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction (PTTD). PTTD is a progressiv…