Heel Injuries and Disorders—Foot Injuries and Disorders

Each of your feet has 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 tendons, muscles, and ligaments. No wonder a lot of things can go wrong. Here are a few common problems:

• Bunions – hard, painful bumps on the big toe joint
• Corns and calluses – thickened skin from friction or pressure
• Plantar warts – warts on the soles of your feet
• Fallen arches – also called flat feet

Ill-fitting shoes often cause these problems. Aging and being overweight also increase your chances of having foot problems.

• Claw foot (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Clubfoot (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Common peroneal nerve dysfunction (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Extremity x-ray (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Flat feet (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Foot pain (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Foot sprain – aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Foot, leg, and ankle swelling (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Hand or foot spasms (Medical Encyclopedia)
• High arch (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Metatarsal fracture (acute) – aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Metatarsal stress fractures – aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Metatarsus adductus (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Morton neuroma (Medical Encyclopedia)

Heel problems are common and can be painful. Often, they result from too much stress on your heel bone and the tissues that surround it. That stress can come from

• Injuries
• Bruises that you get walking, running or jumping
• Wearing shoes that don’t fit or aren’t made well
• Being overweight

These can lead to tendinitis, bursitis, and fasciitis, which are all types of inflammation of the tissues that surround your heel. Over time the stress can cause bone spurs and deformities. Certain diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and gout, can also lead to heel problems. Treatments for heel problems might include rest, medicines, exercises, taping, and special shoes. Surgery is rarely needed.

• Achilles tendinitis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Achilles tendon repair (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Achilles tendon rupture – aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Bursitis of the heel (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Heel pain (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Heel pain and Achilles tendonitis — aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Plantar fasciitis (Medical Encyclopedia)