Chronic Problems

Anterior ankle impingement is more of a chronic issue that develops over time. Anterior ankle impingement commonly causes bone spurs to develop in the anterior ankle joint, which can cause decreased range of motion. Unfortunately, physical therapy cannot fix those bone spurs, and if they are bothersome, the only way to get rid of the pain they cause is to move them surgically.

Arthritis is simple wear and tear of the joints. Just like a car with poor alignment can quickly wear out the treads of its tires,  poor mechanical alignment of the foot and ankle can quickly wear out its joints. At the most severe stage of arthritis, there is rough bone-on-bone interaction where there used to be smooth cartilage protecting the joint.

There are five long bones in our feet called metatarsals, and when working properly, weight-bearing forces are shared between all of them. The largest of these five metatarsals, the first metatarsal, is the one connected to the big toe. It is the largest of the five metatarsals, and handles a significant portion of the weight-bearing forces. Sometimes the first metatarsal will get overworked, which causes the joint connecting it to the midfoot will get loose and become hypermobile. A common associated problem with first-ray hypermobility is lesser-ray transfer metatarsalgia.

Many people are surprised when they hear that their foot or ankle pain is can be caused by a tight calf muscle. Unfortunately, a LOT of people have calf muscles that are too tight, and this can be attributed to our modern lifestyles. Sitting in chairs for long periods of time, wearing shoes with an elevated heel, sleeping in beds, and simply not being as active as our ancient ancestors are just a few things that can lead to calf muscle tightness. Click the arrow to find more Foot Education.

Skewfoot is sort of a combination of a high arch and a low arch. It is usually the result of a high arch that collapses down and becomes what looks like a low arch. Many of the associated problems that come with high arches and low arches are also associated with skewfoot.

Like hammertoes, claw toes are also the result of foot intrinsic muscle weakness. Migration of the fat pad under the forefoot as described under hammertoes is also an associated problem.

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common disorders that can affect people from all walks of life. Common characteristics include pain in the heel and bottom of the foot, and increased pain with the first step out of bed. Common causes of plantar fasciitis include restrictive foot wear and a tight calf muscle. Most cases of plantar fasciitis can be resolved with less-restrictive footwear and physical therapy to stretch the calf muscle.

Spread your fingers out as wide as you can…now bring them all together as tight as you can. Easy, right? Now try the same thing with your toes. If this is a challenge for you, you probably have weak foot intrinsic muscles. It turns out that, like tight calf muscles, many people have weak foot intrinsic muscles. This is almost entirely due to improper footwear. Click the arrow to find out how to fix this.