Common Foot Disorders

There are a great many foot problems that podiatrists are trained to diagnose and treat. The following information presents a brief description of the more common foot disorders and the treatments available to effectively manage them:

Ingrown Toenail

Is a painful condition that may result from trauma, improper cutting of the nail or because of an excessively curved nail-plate. Careful attention to trimming the nail without leaving sharp corners, warm salt-water soaks and the use of antiseptic dressings is often all that is required to cure an ingrown toenail. The initial podiatric treatment often includes oral antibiotics and the simple removal of the ingrowing section of nail under local anaesthetic. If necessary, permanent correction of the condition may be performed as a minor office procedure once the infection has settled.

Hammer-toes

Hammer-toes are usually the result of tendon imbalances and often develop painful corns. These may be treated conservatively by paring down the thickened skin over the boney prominences, or surgically by straightening the involved toes. Hammertoes are often associated with bunion deformities.

 Bunions

Bunion deformities are common conditions affecting the big toe joint of the foot. Often they are an inherited problem and apart from being unsightly, they may cause difficulty in wearing shoes and considerable pain as the joint becomes more and more arthritic.

The best treatment for bunion deformities is surgery. Modern surgical procedures produce very little post-operative discomfort and provide a good opportunity for lasting correction of the deformity. Although bunions are best treated in the earlier stages of their development, effective treatment for advanced cases is still be possible. If necessary, patients can have both feet corrected at the same time and may usually ambulate immediately in special post-operative shoes.

Neuromas

Neuromas are painful benign nerve tumours, usually present between the third and fourth toes of the foot. Patients often report early symptoms of numbness and as the lesions develop, sharp, burning pain between the toes is common. The conservative treatment of neuromas, including injections or foot orthoses, is usually effective; however the surgical removal of the thickened nerve section is often necessary.

Heel Pain

There are a number of possible causes of heel pain, including injury, infection, arthritis and soft tissue inflammation of tendons or ligamentous-like structures around the heel.

The most common causes include plantar fasciitis / heel spurs and Achilles tendonitis in adults, and osteochondritis (Sever’s disease) of the heel in children. Each condition needs to be accurately diagnosed and treated appropriately. Early diagnosis and treatment is important to avoid the condition from developing into a chronic disabling one.

Treatment is usually very successful and consists of rest, foot strapping, gentle stretching exercises, anti-inflammatories and the use of custom foot orthoses. On rare occasions, surgery may be indicated when the heel pain has been present for a year or more and has failed to respond to conservative care.

Warts

Warts are a viral infection in the epidermal layers of the skin, and are thought to be transmissible through direct contact or by walking barefooted in communal pools or showers. Warts may spread and grow in size to press on nerve endings in the skin to become quite painful. Their removal may be facilitated by the use of ‘wart-paints’ available from any pharmacy, or may be frozen off or surgically curetted as an office procedure.

Fungal Nails

Toenails infected with fungi appear thickened, discoloured and are often a source of embarrassment to the patient. Such conditions may be associated with athlete’s foot or tinea, and may be treated by removal of the affected nail section/s and the application of topical or oral antifungal medication.