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Summary
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.
Diagnosis and Tests
-
Bone X-Ray (Radiography)
(Radiological Society of North America, American College of Radiology)
Available in Spanish
- Foot Problems (American Academy of Family Physicians) Available in Spanish
- Foot Push-Up Test (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons)
- Initial Evaluation: What Kind of Shape Are Your Feet In? (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)
- Search the Foot and Ankle: Interactive Foot Diagram (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons)
- X-Ray Exam: Foot (Nemours Foundation) Available in Spanish
Treatments and Therapies
- Cavus Foot Surgery (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)
- Foot Surgery (American Podiatric Medical Association)
- Shoe Inserts and Prescription Custom Orthotics (American Podiatric Medical Association)
- Sprains, Strains and Fractures (American Podiatric Medical Association)
- Subtalar Arthroscopy (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)
Living With
- Acute Inflammation (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Available in Spanish
- Foot and Ankle Conditioning Program (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - PDF
-
MedlinePlus: Mobility Aids
- Canes, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs
Available in Spanish
- Smoking and Bone Healing - A Risky Surgical Combination (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons)
Specifics
- Arthritis and the Feet (American Podiatric Medical Association)
- Broken Ankle/Broken Foot (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Bunions (Hallux Abducto Valgus) (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Available in Spanish
- Burning Feet (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Cavus Foot (High-Arched Foot) (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Available in Spanish
- Charcot Foot (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Available in Spanish
- Corns and Calluses (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Equinus (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Available in Spanish
- Flatfeet (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Flexible Flatfoot (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Available in Spanish
-
Foot Drop (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
- Fractures of the Fifth Metatarsal (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Available in Spanish
- Ganglion Cyst (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Available in Spanish
- Itchy Hands or Feet (Logical Images)
- Lisfranc (Midfoot) Fractures (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - PDF
- Metatarsalgia (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Morton's Neuroma (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Available in Spanish
- Neuromas (American Podiatric Medical Association)
- Osteoarthritis of the Foot and Ankle (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Available in Spanish
- Peroneal Tendon Injuries (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Available in Spanish
- Plantar Fibroma (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Available in Spanish
- Plantar Fibroma and Plantar Fibromatosis (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society) Available in Spanish
- Plantar Warts (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - PDF
- Puncture Wounds (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Available in Spanish
- Tailor's Bunion (Bunionette) (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Available in Spanish
- Tarsal Coalition (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Available in Spanish
- Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons)
- Trench Foot or Immersion Foot (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Genetics
-
Genetics Home Reference: Feingold syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
-
Genetics Home Reference: hand-foot-genital syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Images
- Common Foot Problems (Logical Images)
- Pitted Keratolysis (Logical Images)
- Plantar Wart (Logical Images)
Health Check Tools
- Foot Injury (DSHI Systems)
- Foot Pain (DSHI Systems)
- Foot Swelling (DSHI Systems)
- Numbness of the Feet or Toes (DSHI Systems)
Videos and Tutorials
-
Surgical Repair of a Jones Fracture (OR-Live)
- Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, Greenville, SC, 1/27/2014
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Foot Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Neuroma (National Institutes of Health)
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Foot Injuries (National Institutes of Health)
Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Reference Desk
- Glossary of Foot and Ankle Terms (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)
Find an Expert
- American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society
- American Podiatric Medical Association
- Find a Podiatrist (American Podiatric Medical Association)
- Find an ACFAS Physician (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons)
- Find an Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle MD/DO (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)
-
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Available in Spanish
Children
- Clubfoot (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Clubfoot repair - slideshow Available in Spanish
- Flat Feet and Fallen Arches (American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Intoeing (American Academy of Family Physicians) Available in Spanish
- Problems with Legs and Feet (Nemours Foundation)
- Sweaty Sock Syndrome (Juvenile Plantar Dermatosis) (Logical Images)
- Why Does My Foot Fall Asleep? (Nemours Foundation)
Seniors
-
Foot Care (National Institute on Aging)
Available in Spanish
- Foot Problems (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)
Patient Handouts
- Claw foot Available in Spanish
- Clubfoot Available in Spanish
- Common peroneal nerve dysfunction Available in Spanish
- Extremity x-ray Available in Spanish
- Flat feet Available in Spanish
- Foot pain Available in Spanish
- Foot sprain - aftercare Available in Spanish
- Foot, leg, and ankle swelling Available in Spanish
- Hand or foot spasms Available in Spanish
- High arch Available in Spanish
- Metatarsal fracture (acute) - aftercare Available in Spanish
- Metatarsal stress fractures - aftercare Available in Spanish
- Metatarsus adductus Available in Spanish
- Morton's neuroma Available in Spanish
