OverviewFlexible flatfeet are considered normal in young children because babies are not born with a normal arch. The arch may not form fully until sometime between ages 7 and 10. Even in adulthood, 15% to 25% of people have flexible flatf…
OverviewSurgical treatments vary in complexity. Sometimes the goal of surgery is to stop the growth of the longer limb. Other times, surgeons work to lengthen the shorter limb. Orthopedic surgeons may treat children who have limb-length co…
OverviewMost cases of heel pain are caused when a band of tissue in the foot, known as the plantar fascia, becomes damaged and thickens. Plantar fasciitis is the medical term for the thickening of the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is …
OverviewMorton?s neuroma occurs as the nerve passes under the ligament connecting the toe bones (metatarsals) in the forefoot. Morton?s neuroma most frequently develops between the third and fourth toes, usually in response to irritation, …
There are two different types of leg length discrepancies, congenital and acquired. Congenital implies that you are born with it. One leg is structurally shorter compared to the other. Through developmental stages of aging, the human brain…
Overview A heel spur also known as a calcaneal spur, is a pointed bony outgrowth of the heel bone (calcaneus). Heel spurs do not always cause pain and often are discovered incidentally on X-rays taken for other problems. Heel spurs can occ…
Overview Heel spurs are usually under the heel and are generally caused by excessive forces acting on the bone. By far the most common cause of heel spurs is abnormal biomechanics - often the same biomechanics that cause plantar fasciitis.…
Overview Retrocalcaneal bursitis is an inflammation or infection of the bursae at the back of the heel bone. Bursae are fluid-filled sacs that cushion the joints and prevent the bones from becoming injured due to friction. Because this con…
Overview Many disorders can affect the joints in the toes, causing pain and preventing the foot from functioning as it should. A Hammer toe occurs when the joint at the end of the toe cannot straighten. Excessive rubbing of the hammer toe …
Overview Hammer toe affects both joints of a toe, causing the toe to bend upwards at the proximal joint (the joint closest to the foot) and down at the distal joint (the one farthest away from the foot). The resulting unnatural bend is oft…
Overview A bunion, (medical term: hallux abductovalgus) is a condition resulting in boney prominence at the inside of the foot at the big toe joint. A bunion occurs when the big toe begins to deviate toward the second toe. The biggest misc…
Overview Pronation occurs as weight is transferred from the heel to the forefoot and the foot rolls inwards. Or to put it a little more technically; pronation is the movement of the subtalar joint (between the talus and calcaneus) into eve…
Overview Sever's Disease, otherwise known as calcaneal apophysitis is an inflammation of the growth plate in the heel of growing children, typically adolescents. The condition presents as pain in the heel and is caused by repetitive stress…
Overview The Achilles tendon is the tough sinew that attaches the calf muscle to the back of the calcaneus, or heel bone. It is also known as the tendo calcaneus or the tendo Achilles and happens to be one of the longest tendons in the bod…
Overview Surgical lengthening of the shorter extremity (upper or lower) is another treatment option. The bone is lengthened by surgically applying an external fixator to the extremity in the operating room. The external fixator, a scaffold…
Overview Adult flatfoot refers to a deformity that develops after skeletal maturity is reached. Adult flatfoot should be differentiated from constitutional flatfoot, which is a common congenital non-pathologic foot morphology. There are nu…
Overview Collapsed arches occur in five percent of adults 40 years and older, especially those who are overweight or maintain sedentary lifestyles. At the onset of the condition, adult acquired flatfoot can be controlled with anti-inflamma…