Stress Fractures of the Foot and Ankle

Posted by in Foot Health on May 6, 2012

By David L Greene

A stress fracture can occur in the ankle or foot, as well as a multitude of other places. Usually caused from overuse, the injury causes a small crack in the bone that generates from significant amount of stress over time to the area.

Many patients report an increase in activities, such as exercise, which brought on the symptoms associated with a stress fracture. These activities can be as mild as walking or as intense as running or lifting weights.

Excess stress can be put on the region, such as the foot or ankle, which results in a crack in the bone. The foot and ankle are among the most common places on the body for these fractures to show up.

Stress Fracture Causes

While the most often seen causes of these fractures to the ankle and foot are from an increase in physical activity, other causes are prominent. These causes may include osteoporosis, which is a condition that causes weak bones through decalcification. A person with osteoporosis may become highly susceptible to breaking a bone even with a small amount of activity.

Athletes who perform high impact sports and repetitive movements may also be afflicted with a stress fracture because of the continued stress over time of the body part.

Long distance runners, basketball players, gymnasts and soccer players are among the most common athletes who develop these fractures in their feet or ankles.

How to Determine if You Have a Stress Fracture?

Pain is the most common symptom seen. If you have recently increased your activities and as a result are experiencing pain in your ankle or foot, you may have developed a stress fracture. The pain typically worsens as activity is initiated but may feel better with rest.

Isolated pain may also occur in the specific area of the fracture. You may notice that if you push on the affected area that significant pain occurs.

It is important to immediately stop the activities that are causing pain. If the symptoms carry on for several days, even after rest, it is important to see your podiatrist for a thorough examination and diagnosis.

An x-ray will reveal the fracture most of the time. In some cases an MRI or bone scan may be ordered to provide further insight into the fracture and the depth of the issue. Often an MRI will reveal more detail than an x-ray; however, x-rays are a great way to provide an initial diagnosis. At times the x-ray is negative and the fracture is only seen on the MRI.

 

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Foot Problems Caused by Flat Feet

Posted by in Foot Health on May 5, 2012

By Meo Luoi

Pes planus, or flat feet, occurs when the arch on the underside of your foot collapses. This causes the foot to flatten out. When you have flat feet, the entire sole of your foot touches the ground when you walk. This condition is generally painless, but it can lead to some problems with your feet over time, primarily with the alignment of the other structures in the foot. Here are five common issues that can arise from flat feet.

Heel Strain

Strain to a vital ligament in the heel is one of the more likely problems that can occur from walking with fallen arches. This ligament, plantar fascia, provides support to the bones that make up the back of the foot. As you step, the ligament stretches. Flat feet cause an unnatural alignment of the foot. This means when you walk, the plantar fascia strains to compensate. Eventually, that strain causes damage to this ligament.

Bunions

A bunion is a bony structure that forms at the base of the big toe. Flat feet can cause the bones in the toe, and specifically the first metatarsal bone, to shift. The shifting will be very gradual. It may take years for the alignment to change in the toe. As the toe pushes outward, you will start to see the head of the metatarsal bone pressing against the skin. This is the beginning stages of bunion formation.

Hammer Toes

Hammer toes form the same way bunions do. The fallen arches cause misalignment of the toes. When the bones push upward, the middle joint can move out of alignment. The friction from your shoes rubbing against that joint causes corns to form and eventually a bony structure that becomes a hammer toe.

Tendon Inflammation

Tendons are thick cords that attach muscles to the bones. When this fibrous tissue becomes irritated, it can swell. This condition is tendonitis. With tendonitis, you will feel pain when you try to put weight on your foot. If you have flat feet, tendonitis can become a chronic problem. Repeated incidents of tendon inflammation may cause permanent damage to the muscles and connective tissue of the foot.

Ankle Strain

Ankle problems will be similar to the tendon issues in the foot. The misalignment will cause strain and pinching on the connective tissue of the ankles. This would include muscle, tendons and ligaments. Ankle problems can be secondary to other foot problems. For example, if you have heel strain, you may walk differently and put additional pressure of the ankles.

It is vital to remember that problems with flat feet will develop over time. The key to avoiding foot problems is supportive arches in your shoes even if you don’t currently feel any pain resulting from your flat feet.

 

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Protect Your Feet and Be Forever Happy

Posted by in Foot Health on May 4, 2012

By Mark A Robbins

It’s funny how the feet are the most important part of the body yet it seems to be the most neglected of all. The few people who have a regular habit of pampering their feet consider this a way of relieving themselves and not because they think that their feet deserve a break. Do you know that foot scrubs do not just make you feel better about yourself or make your feel look better? It also helps remove the dead skin cells that are accumulating on your feet. These dark skin cells clump on certain areas and before you know it, underneath them would already be cracks, leading to painful problems such as cracked feet later on.

It all started from the neglect of your feet, and cracked feet will surely make you regret that decision ever. First, what is cracked feet and how does it affect you? When you see dryness on your feet and you let it become more severe, that’s when cracked feet start. You will know that cracked feet is already severe when you can feel pain while walking or standing up. On more serious cases, you will feel the pain when you are barefoot on a cold weather. This is because the cracks are already too deep, which means cold is penetrating the deeper levels of your feet.

Surely you do not want to feel constant pain on your feet, so you should do something to help solve the problem. It would even be better if you continuously do something to prevent the problem from affecting your lifestyle, which is why you have to use a good foot cream as early as possible. And to make sure that you get the best results, always have time to have your feet pampered. You do not have to go to foot spas if you don’t want, as long as you scrub your feet at home. Make sure that you know what you are doing though because over-scrubbing of the feet may lead to oversensitivity.

Everybody uses their feet often, which is why it should be cared for properly. Just as you always use your arms and face, you also have to make sure that there will be no problems on your feet and what better way to do this than by letting the professionals do the caring for you? A professional cream can answer the dryness of your feet, while a professional feet scrubber can pamper your feet and protect you from unwanted pains and problems in the future. That’s all you need.

 

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