PLANTAR FASCIITIS / HEEL SPURES

A painful inflammatory condition which occurs when the fibrous band of tissue on the bottom of the foot is overloaded or overstretched. The fibrous band that helps support the arch succumbs to small tears in the tissue fibers.

Symptoms

Sharp or dull pain is felt on the sole of the foot, usually towards the heel. Symptoms can include intense heel pain when taking first steps in the morning sometimes returning after resting and resuming activity.

HAMMER, CLAW OR MALLET TOES

Hammer, claw, or mallet toes occur when the foot is unable to maintain balance. This causes the toes to grip or claw the ground for balance and over time the toes deform into one or more of these maladies.

A hammertoe has an abnormal bend in the middle joint of a toe. Mallet toe affects the joint nearest the toenail. Hammertoe and mallet toe usually occur in your second, third and fourth toes.

BUNIONS

A bunion (hallux valgus) is often described as a bump on the side of the big toe. Bunions are a progressive disorder. They begin with a leaning of the big toe, gradually changing the angle of the bones over the years and slowly producing the characteristic bump, which becomes increasingly prominent.

Causes

Bunions are most often caused by an inherited faulty mechanical structure of the foot. It is not the bunion itself that is inherited, but certain foot types that make a person prone to developing a bunion.

SHIN SPLINTS

Is also known as medial tibial stress syndrome, pain along the inner edge of the shinbone.

Causes

Shin splints are usually caused by repeated trauma to the connective muscle tissue surrounding the tibia.

KNEE PAIN

The knee joint consists of an articulation between four bones: the femur, tibia, fibula, and patella. There are four compartments to the knee. These are the medial and lateral tibiofemoral compartments, the patellofemoral compartment and the superior tibiofibular joint.

Causes

The components of each of these compartments can suffer from repetitive strain, injury or disease.

INTERDIGITAL NEUROMA

Pinched nerve between the metatarsal heads, affecting two or more toes.

Symptoms

Numbness, stabbing, burning, tingling, aching pain between two adjacent toes.

Back Pain

Walking and standing with the feet, legs, hips, and spine constantly out of alignment can contribute to back pain.

Symptoms

Mild to severe pain in the upper, middle, or lower back, that can present itself as a sharp fleeting pain (acute), or a constant ache (chronic).