Some of the most common foot ailments we encounter at Kensington Foot Orthotics are:
Plantar
Fasciitis
Bunions
Morton's Neuroma
Ganglion
Pronation
Supination
Variations in size, scale and coloration occur in all these abnormalities. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, please contact us at (403) 270-0074 for your free consultation today.
Plantar fasciitis pain is one of the most common ailments that we encounter
Plantar fasciitis is a common foot problem in sports participants, but can affect anyone. It starts as a dull, intermittent pain in the heel and may progress to a sharp, persistent pain. Classically, it is worse in the morning with the first few steps of the day, or at the beginning of any sporting activity.
The plantar fascia is a thick, fibrous material on the bottom of the foot. It is attached to the heel bone (calcaneous) and fastened forward to the toes. It is responsible for maintaining the arch of the foot.
The problem usually occurs when part of this inflexible fascia is pulled away from the heel bone. This causes an inflammation and thus, pain. Plantar fascia injury may also occur at midsole or towards the toes. Since it is difficult to rest the foot, a vicious cycle is set up with the situation aggravated with every step. In severe cases, the heel is visibly swollen. The problem progresses rapidly and treatment must be started as soon as possible. As the fascia is pulled away from the bone, the body reacts by filling in the space with new bone. This causes the classic "heel spur".
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Bunions (Symptomatic Hallux Valgus)
A bunion is a structural deformity of tA bunion is an excessive widening of the forefoot that occurs as the end of your first metatarsal (long bone in front of your foot behind your big toe) splays away from the rest of the metatarsals. The appearance of a wide forefoot is exaggerated due to the fact that the big toe begins pointing to the outside of the foot instead of pointing straight ahead. This bad position leaves the appearance of a bump or prominent bone on the inside of the ball of the foot. This bump often becomes reddened and enlarged due to the fact that there are few shoes available to accommodate this wide deformed forefoot. Rather than the shoe being the shape of the foot, although it might be in all other areas of the shoe, the bunion begins to shape the shoe and a noticeable expansion is seen in the upper part of the shoe. This shoe molding however is not without consequences for the bunion. The pressure from the shoe on the bump irritates the skin on the side and top of the bump, which is not designed to resist rubbing like the skin on the bottom of the foot. Consequently, redness, blistering, callus formation, bursitis and nerve damage (numbness or sharp pains) are a few of the symptoms related to the shoe rubbing on the bunion. As if that were not enough of a bad situation, bunions also hurt inside of the joint and on the bottom of the joint, because as they progress, they become progressively more dislocated and unstable, often overloading the adjacent joints.
As you can see in the X-Ray image above, the deformity on the big toes is very visible!
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A neuroma is a sometimes-painful nerve enlargement of one of the nerves of the body. When it occurs within the foot, it usually happens in one of the nerves going to the toes in the forefoot. The nerve that a neuroma most commonly forms within is called the intermetatarsal nerve and is one of the many branches within the foot that have traveled from the spine. A neuroma can occur between any of the long bones (metatarsals) in the forefoot, but is most commonly encountered in the intermetatarsal nerve between the third and fourth metatarsals and toes. This is a Mortonís neuroma as described Dr. Morton almost 100 years ago. If a neuroma occurs between any of the other long bones, it is not called a Mortonís neuroma, but is just called a neuroma.The nice thing about understanding medical terms is that often the words can be understood by breaking them apart and understanding their component parts. Neuroma is no different. Neur or neuro stands for nerve, and oma stands for swelling or tumor. Simply stated, a neuroma is a swelling or enlargement of a nerve. The word tumor should be discouraged from being applied to a neuroma, since tumor could be construed to mean cancerous or malignant. Neuromas are benign and often respond to conservative care.
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A ganglion cyst is a bump or mass that forms under the skin. Most commonly, ganglions are seen on the wrist (usually the back side) and fingers, but they can also develop around joints on the shoulder, elbow, knee, hip, ankle and foot. Ganglion cysts form when tissues surrounding certain joints become inflamed and swell up with lubricating fluid. They can increase in size when the tissue is irritated and often can "disappear" spontaneously. These masses or cysts appear to grow sometimes but they are not tumours or cancerous.
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If you have a normal arch, you're likely a normal pronator, meaning you'll do best in a stability shoe that offers moderate pronation control. Runners with flat feet normally overpronate, so they do well in a motion-control shoe that controls pronation. High-arched runners typically underpronate, so they do best in a neutral-cushioned shoe that encourages a more natural foot motion.
Normal Pronation
The outside part of the heel makes initial contact with the ground. The foot "rolls" inward about fifteen percent, comes in complete contact with the ground, and can support your body weight without any problem. The rolling in of the foot optimally distributes the forces of impact. This movement is called "pronation," and it's critical to proper shock absorption. At the end of the gait cycle, you push off evenly from the front of the foot.
Overpronation
As with the "normal pronation" sequence, the outside of the heel makes the initial ground contact. However, the foot rolls inward more than the ideal fifteen percent, which is called "overpronation." This means the foot and ankle have problems stabilizing the body, and shock isn't absorbed as efficiently. At the end of the gait cycle, the front of the foot pushes off the ground using mainly the big toe and second toe, which then must do all the work.
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Supination is the opposite of pronation. It is the foot's ability to become much more rigid and strong so the foot has the power to propel the body forward and improve balance.
This type of foot is much stronger and has much less shock absorbing capabilities. Twenty percent of the population would fall into the "supinated foot" category, whereas eighty percent of the population would be considered over-pronators.
The supinated foot is a very strong, stable foot. The general characteristic of a supinated foot is usually a higher arch definition.
Click on the picture for an enlarged view.
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