Common Foot & Ankle Problems We Treat

Podiatry is a specialized field of medicine dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, disorders, and injuries of the human foot and ankle. At Central Carolina Foot & Ankle Associates, we understand the relationship between the health of your feet and the rest of your body.


We are trained to treat foot and ankle injuries, fractures, and congenital and acquired foot deformities. We also treat skin and nail disorders, infections, and problems associated with diseases such as diabetes, poor circulation, and gout.


We are your local foot and ankle specialists in Durham, NC, and can assist with a number of foot conditions. Contact us today to schedule your initial appointment.

Foot & Ankle Conditions Treated

  • BUNIONS

    A bunion is an enlargement of bone or tissue around the joint at the base of the big toe that causes a bump on the joint. The big toe may turn toward the second toe (displacement), and the tissues surrounding the joint may be swollen and tender.


    Bunions may be caused by abnormal foot mechanics that result in too much pressure on the great toe joint. Over time, the constant pressure forces the big toe joint out of alignment. An inherited foot type (such as flatfoot), and abnormal foot motion (excessive pronation), and ill-fitting shoes may all contribute to the deformity.


    Home treatment, including wearing shoes with low to moderate heels and with plenty of room in the toe box (the area that surrounds the toes), is often all that is needed to take pressure off the great toe joint and relieve pain. If home treatment does not provide enough relief, prescription orthotics or surgery may be needed.

  • CORNS

    A corn is a hardened area of skin that occurs on toes. They usually cause mild to moderate pain, but in some cases can become infected and quite painful. They are quite commonly found on the lateral, or outer side, of the 5th toe. Corns also occur on the other lesser toes, usually on top of one of the joints. There are two types of corns: hard corns (heloma durum) and soft corns (heloma molle). Hard corns are on the tops and outer sides of toes, and soft corns occur between the toes. Moisture keeps the lesions between the toes “softer” than the ones on the tops or outer sides of the toes.

  • DIABETIC FOOT PROBLEMS

    Diabetes affects the lives of nearly 26 million people in the United States and nearly seven million don’t even know they have the disease yet. Today’s podiatrist play a key role in helping patients manage their diabetes successfully and avoid foot-relates complications. Podiatrists are highly trained physicians and surgeons focusing on the foot and ankle and should be an important part of your diabetes management team.


    Diabetes Warning Signs

    • Skin color changes
    • Swelling of the foot or ankle
    • Numbness in the feet or toes
    • Pain in the legs
    • Open sores on the feet that are slow to heal
    • Ingrown and fungal toenails
    • Bleeding corns and calluses
    • Dry cracks in the skin, especially around the heel
  • FLAT FEET

    Some flat feet are not pathologic (painful) and require no treatment. But if you (or a child of yours) has painful flat feet, let one of our physicians evaluate your foot and recommend the best course of action. If left untreated, flat feet can cause significant pain and keep an otherwise healthy child from engaging in normal athletic activities.


    Symptoms:

    • Pain and muscle fatigue with walking
    • Ankle pain
    • Knee pain
    • Muscle cramps on the outside of your legs at night
    • “Growing pains”
  • GANGLION CYSTS

    A ganglion cyst is a benign soft tissue tumor that develops along a tendon sheath or joint. Inside the cyst is a thick, gelatinous liquid. Depending on the size, it may feel firm or spongy. The cyst can increase or decrease in size with movement. They most commonly occur on the hands, but can also occur on the ankle or top of the foot. When the cyst is larger, it can cause pain or irritation by rubbing on the shoe or may irritate the nerve underneath.


    What are the treatment options?

    If the cyst causes no pain and does not interfere with shoe gear, you may choose to do nothing. This is certainly an acceptable course of action, but if the cyst continues to enlarge or become painful, some sort of intervention is advised.

    • Diagnostic Ultrasound may be used to help the physician visualize the cyst and determine what structure it is connected to.
    • Aspiration and drainage—A needle is used to draw the jelly-like material out of the cyst and a steroid is injected to reduce inflammation to help keep it from filling back up. There is a high recurrence rate with this treatment.
    • Surgical excision—in most cases, surgical excision of the cyst is the best treatment, with the lowest rate of recurrence.
  • HAMMER TOES

    A hammer toe is a contracture of one or both of the joints in the lesser toes. Hammertoes usually start out as mild deformities and get progressively worse over time. In the early stages, hammertoes are often flexible and the symptoms can often be managed with non-invasive treatments. But if left untreated, hammertoes can become more rigid and will not respond to non-surgical treatment.


    Although hammertoes are readily apparent, to understand why they have developed will require an examination by our podiatrist. The physician will likely take x-rays, perform a range of motion exam and possibly a gait analysis to observe how you walk. Hammertoes are progressive, and the rate they progress will be determined by the cause. Once your physician determines what is causing the deformity, a treatment plan can be developed that is suited to your needs.

  • INGROWN TOENAILS

    An ingrown nail is a nail that curves into the skin. The medical term is onychocryptosis. It may or may not be painful and may or may not cause infection. An ingrown nail that becomes infected or inflamed causes paronychia along the border of the nail. Ingrown toenails that are inflamed or infected are usually very painful. 


    Treatment Options:

    • Trimming & Soaking
    • Wedge Resection
    • Antibiotics
    • Nail Removal
    • Subungual Exostectomy
  • MORTON’S NEUROMAS

    A Neuroma is an enlarged nerve. A Morton’s Neuroma, the most common type in the foot, causes intense pain in the ball of the foot that shoots out to the third and fourth toes. Numbness, cramping and tingling in the 3rd or 4th toes is also common. The second and third toes can also be affected, but this is much more uncommon.


    A neuroma is diagnosed by good questioning and a physical exam of the foot by a podiatrist. Pressing on certain areas of the foot will reproduce the pain. Squeezing the foot together and pushing up under the nerve will, in many cases, yield a positive “Mulder’s Click”. The clicking feeling associated with pain shooting to the toes is diagnostic for a Morton’s neuroma.

  • PEDIATRIC CONDITIONS

    What are the most common conditions affecting the pediatric population?

    1. Calcaneal Apophystitis

    Also known as Sever’s disease, this condition affects children between the ages of 8-14, who are active. Pain is most commonly in the back of the heel, along the growth plate, and is caused by traction and pulling of the Achilles tendon. Inflammation develops along the heel’s growth plate from repetitive stress and activity. Pain can persist until the growth plate fuses.


    Treatments can include: rest, ice, stretching, heel lifts, and orthotics


    2. Flat Feet

    As the term suggests, “flat feet” is the excessive flattening of the arch with standing and walking. Symptoms can include fatigue, night cramps and pain. Untreated, the condition can lead to ankle sprains, bunions, hammertoes, joint pain and arthritis.


    Treatment: Good, supportive shoes and prescription orthotics. In more severe cases, or cases unresponsive to orthotics, surgery may be indicated.


    3. Ingrown Toenails

    Ingrown toenails occur when the side of the nail grows into the skin, leading to pain and possible infection. They can be caused by incorrect nail trimming and tight shoes, but can also be hereditary.


    Treatment: permanent or temporary removal of the affected nail border.


    4. Warts

    Warts are caused by the Human Papilloma virus and are very common in children. The virus grows into the skin and can spread. When the warts appear on the bottom of the foot they can cause significant pain and debilitation. Because the plantar skin is thick, most over-the-counter treatments are not usually effective.


    Treatment: a powerful topical medication is the most effective and relatively pain-free. Recalcitrant warts may need to be surgically excised.

  • PLANTAR FASCIITIS

    Plantar fasciitis is commonly referred to as “heel spur syndrome”. It is inflammation of the plantar fascial band that runs from the bottom of the heel to the ball of the foot. This band acts as the “bowstring” of the foot – helping to maintain the arch.


    Many other disorders can cause heel and arch pain – -but plantar fasciitis is the most common heel problem that we treat. A variety of foot injuries, foot structure or improper foot mechanics can lead to plantar fasciitis.

  • SPORTS INJURIES

    What are the most common foot and ankle injuries?

    1. Ankle Sprains

    When you “twist your ankle”, you can injure one or more of the ligaments that support the ankle, ranging in severity from a mild sprain to a complete tear.


    Treatment involves: rest, ice, bracing, physical therapy to strengthen ankle joint


    2. Turf Toe

    Turf toe is a sprain of the big toe joint after excessive upward bending of the big toe, caused by jamming or repetitive injury from pushing off. Symptoms: pain, swelling, and limited joint range of motion.


    Treatment: rest, ice, compression, and elevation, less-flexible footwear.


    3. Shin Splints

    Shin splints are the result of inflammation of the periosteum along the tibia. It occurs after running or walking, and results in pain in the shins and is caused by flat feet, calf tightness, overuse, worn out or improper sneakers.


    Treatment: rest, ice, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, stretching exercises, properly fitted shoes, and orthotics. If not treated, shin splints may eventually result in a tibial stress fracture.

  • STRESS FRACTURES

    A stress fracture occurs when a small crack develops in the cortex of the bone. Over time, if left untreated the crack will expand until the fracture line extends through the whole bone. Most stress fractures occur in the weight-bearing bones of the foot such as the metatarsals, most commonly the 2nd and 3rd metatarsals. Stress fractures can also occur in the heel, the navicular of the fibula.


    Diagnosing

    Physical exam and x-rays will be obtained. While most stress fractures don’t show up on the bone like a trauma induced fracture will, but there will be slight changes at the periosteum (dense layer of vascular connective tissue that envelopes the bones) of the bone where the stress fracture exists. In addition to traditional x-rays that show bones, our diagnostic ultrasound machine reveals soft tissue disorders, so we are well equipped to diagnose any foot or ankle problem.


    Treatments

    Rest, use of a custom splint or post op shoe or immobilization via a below the knee pre-fabricated cast such as an AirCast or a fiberglass cast applied by a podiatrist. The site of the stress fracture and degree of pain will determine the treatment. If there is a deficiency in bone density that will need to be addressed as well.

  • TOENAIL FUNGUS

    Nail fungus, also known as Onychomycosis, is an embarrassing, usually chronic condition that impacts your quality of life and can lead to serious health problems for those with diabetes or immune disorders. Nail infection can cause permanent deformity of the nail, which can interfere with walking, participating in sports, and being able to wear shoes comfortably – not to mention the embarrassment from the way the nails look. It can also start as a result of a family history of susceptibility, increasing age, poor health, nail trauma, warm or moist climates, exposure to infected nails in sports/fitness and communal bathing areas, and tight shoes. Fungal infections vary in degree and in severe cases can be extremely painful, unsightly and difficult to treat.

No matter what type of foot or ankle issue you are experiencing, contact us to schedule your initial consultation.

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