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Common Conditions | Bunions, Heel Pain, Ingrown Toenail, Etc.

Though our podiatry team treats the full spectrum of ailments pertaining to your foot and ankle, the following are the most common conditions we at the Foot & Ankle Specialists, PC care for. Should you be suffering from any of the following do not delay in scheduling your appointment with us – there’s no reason to suffer any longer.

Bunion

A bunion begins when the joint at the base of your big toe enlarges and deforms, angling the toe in towards the others. The joint protrudes and rubs against your footwear causing pain, irritation and inflammation. If left unchecked the condition can lead to hammertoe, bursitis or arthritis. Since bunions are bone deformities they cannot mend on their own. While conservative treatment involves relieving pressure and pain from the irritations while stopping any further advancement of the condition with protective padding and carefully-fitted footwear to name a few, surgery can be a necessity in severe cases.

Heel Pain/Bone Spurs/Plantar Fasciitis

Widely referred to as a heel spur, plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the connective tissue between the base of the toes and the heel bone often caused by overpronation of the foot while walking or running. Fortunately, the condition and heel pain is often set right by physical therapy, orthotic devices, and anti-inflammatory medications. For more severe cases we also offer Extracorporeal Shock Wave Treatment (ESWT) to treat the pain.

Ingrown Toenail

Ingrown toenails (onychocryptosis) are commonly caused by trimming toenails back too far, most frequently on the sides of the big toe. Footwear that’s too tight or short, toe injury, poor foot structure, there are many factors that can cause the corners of your toenail to dig into the skin, cause pain, and often infection. Ingrown toenail prevention can be simple though, if you follow these few instructions: when trimming your toenails, cut straight across without rounding the corners; don’t wear shoes or socks that are too tight; maintain clean feet. Should you still run into this issue, treatment of an ingrown toenail can be as simple as soaking your foot in warm, soapy water several times a day until it subsides. And should an infection occur antibiotics can be prescribed. In severe cases, should an acute infection arise, surgical removal of the ingrown toenail may be necessary.

Hammertoe

Hammertoe is a deformity of the second, third, or fourth toes where the toe bends at the middle joint giving the look of a hammer. If not attended to early they can become inflexible, ultimately requiring surgery. As with so many other foot conditions, the primary cause of hammertoe is improperly fitting shoes. Treatment for the muscle imbalance usually involves wearing soft shoes with plenty of toe room along with exercises to stretch and strengthen toe muscles.

Flat Feet

As infants and toddlers flat feet are a common condition of our foot structure. When we begin standing on our toes our arch develops and continues to do so throughout our childhood until we become adults. Unfortunately, not everyone’s arches develop fully. Tibialis posterior tendonitis, or painful progressive flatfoot, is an inflammation of the tibialis posterior, a condition that occurs when the tendon becomes stretched, inflamed, or torn. If not tended to the condition could worsen, with chronic pain or even causing severe disability. In some instances surgery is required to repair a damaged or torn tendon, and in the most severe cases surgery on the actual midfoot bones are needed. For most cases though orthotics, bracing, physical therapy, supportive tape, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications treat the problem.

End Your Bunion, Ingrown Toenail, Heel Pain, Et Al. Today

Leaving these conditions unattended is simply not an option - if you’re suffering from any of these common conditions we invite you to schedule an appointment with us today. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff will happily get you back on track and living without pain once more.