Common Foot and Foot related Problems: Click short cuts below
| • Heel Pain • Diabetes • Poor Posture • Plantar Neuroma • Hammertoes |
• Bunions • Sore/ Cramps • Calluses&Corns • Ankle • Shin Splints |
• Supination • Pronation • High Arch • Flat Foot |
HEEL PAIN/ PLANTAR FASCIITIS/ BONE SPURS: A chronic inflammation of the plantar fascia, four layers of muscles and ligaments that pass from the heel to forefoot can be quite debilitating. The inflammation may be caused by the fascia partially pulling away from the heel. A bony spur (which may or may not cause pain) can also develop here, caused by excessive heel rotation, excessive heel pounding, longitudinal arch weakness, and/or stretched plantar muscles. Pain may be present at all times, may be only after rest, or may come and go. Pain may be localized in the heel or generalized through the arch.
DIABETES: Diabetes is a disease in which the body doesn’t produce or properly use insulin, which can have adverse effects on the body. Typically diabetics have decreased blood circulation and increased risk of poor wound healing and development of ulcers, specifically a higher risk in the feet due to them being the furthest away from the heart. Proper care of the body and feet are highly recommended to prevent infection. See also: http://www.diabetes.org/home.jsp
POOR POSTURE/ LEG LENGTH INEQUALITY: Having good posture means that the body’s bones and muscles are in a strong and healthy state, allowing the body to remain in an upright position and proper alignment. Poor posture can result from a wide variety of underlying factors. Some of these can include, but are not limited to: injury, disease, muscle tension or weakness, genetics, habit, improper shoes, and leg length inequality.
Leg Length Inequality is the difference between the lengths of each leg. This can be caused during birth or childhood development, a bone disease, or injury. Occasionally, a person may misinterpret a leg length inequality with the rotation that the hip is placed in, making one leg appear longer or shorter than the opposite leg.
ANKLE/ KNEE/ HIP/ BACK/ NECK PAIN: Joint pain can be associated with a variety of causes, so our recommendation is to see your medical professional for proper diagnosis. Sometimes the cause can be as simple as misalignment of the bone structure. Each muscle has attachments to the bones throughout the entire body, so if just one muscle insertion is slightly misaligned, it can cause misalignment to the connecting area of the body and the “domino” effect ends up with painful joints of the ankle, knee, hip, back and/or neck.
The body main function is homeostasis – maintain a stable, constant condition. If one area of the body is in pain, you will subconsciously switch pressure to the opposite side to relieve the pain. This excess pressure causes misalignment of the body and its joints and uneven weight distribution.
SHIN SPLINTS: Overuse injury of the lower leg muscles that cause stress on the anterior side of the tibia bone. A common cause of shin splints is pronation, which misaligns the muscles connecting the foot to the lower leg. If pronation happens frequently, inflammation of the lower leg muscles will cause pain located there. This is a typical injury in athletes and long-distance runners.
SUPINATION: Supination pulls outward, and usually shows symptoms early at the neck and shoulder areas, and later works down to the knee and hip. This is a common symptom of high arches.
PRONATION: Pronation is the ankle collapsing inward beyond the proper position. Pronation pulls in, with effects generally starting at the ankle or knee, and working up with time to hip and spine. The spine can be bad right away, especially the lumbar region (low back). This is a common symptom of flat feet.
HIGH ARCH (PES CAVUS)/ METATARSALGIA: High arches, which are less common than flat feet, are excessively raised arches or instep, on the bottom of the foot. High arches can be caused by genetics or may also be associated with neuromuscular diseases. The bones of the foot are pushed up and held in an inflexible position in the arch. This can cause excess pressure on the metatarsal bones (ball of the foot) and heel, which leads to postural problems, joint aches, risk of developing plantar fasciitis, and metatarsalgia (pain in the ball of the foot). Metatarsalgia is typical in people who take part in high impact sports or runners who put extra stress on the ball of their feet, but can also be caused by other things such as excess body weight or aging.
FLAT FOOT (PES PLANUS)/ FALLEN ARCHES: Flat feet are a very common genetic condition, where the arch or instep of the metatarsals collapse and comes in contact with the ground. A child’s medial arch will not develop immediately, so concerns regarding flat feet may or may not be necessary unless daily life is interrupted by the condition, at which point arch supports may be necessary to help correct the problem. In some people, the medial arch is not apparent even into adulthood and can cause stiff, inflexible, or painful feet. Flat feet are typically associated with pronation, which is the ankle collapsing inward beyond the proper position.
The bone structure in a flat foot remains consistent with those who have a “normal” or “high” arch. This means that a person who has flat feet has an arch in their bone structure and can activate the muscles under the foot to better hold the arch in its correct place, provided assistance from an arch support.
PLANTAR NEUROMA: A nerve growth that often accompanies metatarsalgia. It can develope when the nerve between two metatarsal heads is pinched and/or bruised. The nerves that feed to the toes run in the spaces between the metatarsal heads located in the ball of the foot. Painful symptoms can include a burning numbness or electric shock sensation in the ball of the foot or toes caused by tight shoes, repeated impacts or jolts to the forefoot or by a dropped metatarsal arch.
HAMMERTOES: Produced by a muscle imbalance which causes the end joints of one or two (or more) smaller toes to bend down, while the closer joints bend up. Another symptom may be toes crossing over other toes. A cause of this could be related to Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome.
BUNIONS: A condition where the big toe angles inward, creating an unsightly bump at the base of the toe. Bunions are a response to too much stress in the toe joint. They can become painful when the bursa sac becomes inflamed from irritation caused by spreading of the forefoot, pronation, supination, or muscle imbalance. Over many years this may develop into bone deposits that interfere with life, and do not fit well in shoes.
SORE/ CRAMPS: Sore feet can affect millions of people around the world and disrupts daily life. Simple activities such as walking, running, working, and sports can be stressful and discomforting on your feet and the rest of your body. Pain can be specific to an area of the foot such as the heel (plantar fasciitis), the ball of the foot (metatarsalgia), the arch, or the overall foot from heel to toe. Other symptoms may be numbness (neuropathy or Morton’s neuroma) or tingling of the foot.
CALLUSES & CORNS: Underlying bone problems can cause excessive irritation where shoes repeatedly rub, dead skin cells pile up, creating calluses on the bottom of the foot and corns on the toes.
Did you know that 87% of the population has a foot-related problem and their feet may not even hurt?
Heel pain, calluses, hammertoes, cramps, sore legs, sore feet, corns, back-aches and bunions are only symptoms of bigger problems going on. Hard surfaces, improper footwear, aging and gravity are only a few of the major factors that lead to structural malfunction of the musculoskeletal system.
When foot posture is incorrect, the entire body structure suffers. Weak and misaligned bones and arches can lead to painful conditions throughout the body including knee, hip, back, neck and shoulder pain.
Most foot supports are made to fit the unbalanced or troubled foot. Step Forward Foot Correctors are made in the shape of a normal foot so that in time, your foot will conform to the orthotic and become more normal in shape and structure, the way nature intended. When worn correctly, the muscles and ligaments in your foot are realigned, thus eliminating fatigue and discomfort.
The shape of the foot will change due to wearing improper footwear. Wearing Step Forward Foot Correctors allows the foot to regain its correct posture.
Hundreds of thousands of people across the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Taipei, South Africa, Lithuania, Sweden, and other areas benefit from wearing this type of orthotic. Step Forward products can be purchased through doctors, orthopedic surgeons, chiropractors, osteopaths, physical therapists, and many sports medicine clinics or directly from the manufacturer.
When foot posture is incorrect, the entire body structure suffers. Weak and misaligned bones and arches can lead to painful conditions throughout the body including knee, hip, back, neck and shoulder pain.
Most foot supports are made to fit the unbalanced or troubled foot. Step Forward Foot Correctors are made in the shape of a normal foot so that in time, your foot will conform to the orthotic and become more normal in shape and structure, the way nature intended. When worn correctly, the muscles and ligaments in your foot are realigned, thus eliminating fatigue and discomfort.
The shape of the foot will change due to wearing improper footwear. Wearing Step Forward Foot Correctors allows the foot to regain its correct posture.
Hundreds of thousands of people across the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Taipei, South Africa, Lithuania, Sweden, and other areas benefit from wearing this type of orthotic. Step Forward products can be purchased through doctors, orthopedic surgeons, chiropractors, osteopaths, physical therapists, and many sports medicine clinics or directly from the manufacturer.
Try one of our products today. You and YOUR FEET will feel better!
Additional Glossary Terms
Acupressure: An ancient healing art that uses the fingers to press key points on the surface of the skin to stimulate the body's natural self-curative abilities.
See also: http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Accupressure
Acupuncture: Technique used by inserting fine filiform needles into the body in trigger points with a goal of relieving pain or other symptoms. See also: http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Accupuncture
Achilles tendonitis: Irritation and inflammation of the tendon that attaches to the back of the heel bone.
Agonist (muscle): The muscle that produces the action.
Alzner: George Alzner is the original scientist who designed the first “balanced-corrective orthotic”.
Athlete’s Foot (Tinea Pedis): An infection of the feet caused by fungus.
Bunion: Painful bony prominence, located directly behind the big toe. A bunionette can be found behind the little toe.
Bursitis: Inflammation of the bursa sac.
Callus/ Corn: Thickened skin in a specific area that feels hardened.
Chiropractor (DC): Diagnose and treat patients with health problems of the musculoskeletal system and treat the effects of those problems on the nervous system and on general health.
See also: http://www.calchiro.org/about.html
Claw Foot: Another term given for abnormally high arches; see also Hollow Foot.
Club Foot (Talipes): At birth, a baby’s foot is abnormally shaped and bent like a golf club head; this common condition of the foot is caused by shortening of muscles and tendons and is usually a congenital deformity.
Diabetes: A disease in which the body doesn’t produce or properly use insulin, which can have adverse effects on the body, including foot ulcers. See also: http://www.diabetes.org/about-diabetes.jsp
Drop Foot: Difficulty lifting the front part of the foot when walking; it can be associated with Sciatica.
Flat Foot (Pes Planus): A deformity of the feet, caused by weakened or injured muscles and ligaments of the arch.
Haglund's deformity (Pump Bump): A bony enlargement on the back of the heel that most often leads to painful bursitis.
Hammertoe: Produced by a muscle imbalance which causes the end joints of one or two (or more) smaller toes to bend down, while the closer joints bend up.
Heel/Bone Spurs: A hook of bone that forms on the bone at the back of the foot.
High Arch (Pes Cavus): High arches, which are less common than flat feet, are excessively raised arches or instep, on the bottom of the foot.
Hollow Foot: Another term given for abnormally high arches, see also Claw Foot.
Homeostasis: The body’s internal balance system.
Ingrown Toenail: Common condition in which the corner or side of one of your toenails grows into the soft flesh of that toe.
Lateral Longitudinal Arch: Lies parallel to the medial arch on the outside of the foot.
Leg Length Inequality: The difference between the lengths of each leg.
Massage Therapy (Soft Tissue Mobilization): Used as a means of treating painful ailments, decompressing tired and overworked muscles, reducing stress, rehabilitating sports injuries, and promoting general health. See also: http://www.amtamassage.org/consumers.html
Medial Longitudinal Arch: The largest and best known of the foot's arches, which forms the hollow at the palm of the foot.
Metatarsal Arch: Reaches across the forefoot horizontally, immediately behind the ball of the foot.
Metatarsalgia: Pain in the ball of the foot at the metatarsals.
Metatarsals: The 5 bones that form the front of the foot's instep (ball of the foot) that, with the tarsals, form the foot’s arches.
Morton’s Neuroma: A nerve growth that often accompanies metatarsalgia. It develops when the nerve between two metatarsal heads is pinched and bruised, typically between the 3rd and 4th metatarsals.
Neuropathy: Damage to the nerves that can cause numbness, a tingling sensation, or weakness and is usually first felt in the fingers or toes.
Nutritionist: An expert trained in the field of nutrition who is able give advice in regard to allergies or health problems, and plan healthy diets to assist in weight loss. See also: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos077.htm
Orthopedic Surgeon: Uses surgical, medical or physical means to investigate, preserve and restore functions to a patient's extremities or spine. See also: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/main.cfm
Personal Trainer: A personal trainer is a person qualified to coach others in order to achieve a desired level of fitness. See also: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos296.htm
Phalanges: The 14 small bones that make up the toes; there are two phalanges in each large toe, and three in each smaller toe.
Physical Therapist: Helps to restore function, improve mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities of patients suffering from injuries or disease.
See also: http://www.apta.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Consumers/consumer1.htm
Plantar Fasciitis: A chronic inflammation of the plantar fascia, four layers of muscles and ligaments that passes from the heel to forefoot.
Plantar Warts: Benign skin growths that develop on the soles of the foot where excessive pressure is placed.
Podiatrist: Medical specialists of the foot, ankle and lower leg.
See also: http://www.epodiatry.com/podiatry_sites.htm
Posture: A position of the body or body parts. See also: http://posturepage.com/
Pronation: The ankle collapsing inward beyond the proper position.
Reflexology: A science which deals with the principle that there are reflex areas in the feet and hands which correspond to all of the glands, organs and parts of the body.
See also: http://www.reflexology-research.com/whatis.htm
Rolfing: Rolfing is named after its founder Dr. Ida P. Rolf. Dr. Rolf began her inquiry more than fifty years ago, devoting her energy to creating a holistic system of soft tissue manipulation and movement education that organized the whole body in gravity. See also http://www.rolf.org/.
Sciatica: A symptom of pain in the sciatic nerve, the longest nerve in the body that runs from the spinal cord to the bottom of the foot. See also http://www.spineuniverse.com/displayarticle.php/article1448.html
Shin Splints: Overuse injury of the lower leg muscles that cause stress on the anterior side of the tibia bone.
Soft Step Foot Corrector: A balanced, corrective orthotic used to help alleviate pains associated in the foot, ankle, knee, hip, and back.
Supination: The ankle collapsing outward beyond the proper position.
Tarsals: The 7 bones that make up the heel and the back of the instep that, with the metatarsals, form the foot’s arches.
Thin Step Orthotic: An alternative stabilizing orthotic that is more rigid than the Soft Step Foot Corrector and better useful in tight fitting shoes such as a cowboy boot.