Foot Injuries and Disorders

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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.

Start Here

Adult Foot Health (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)
Foot Problems (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Bone X-Ray (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Foot Problems (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Foot Push-Up Test (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons)
How to Evaluate Your Feet (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)
Search the Foot and Ankle Conditions: Interactive Foot Diagram (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons)
X-Ray Exam: Foot (Nemours Foundation)

Prevention and Risk Factors

Preventing Trench Foot or Immersion Foot (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Treatments and Therapies

Cavus Foot Surgery (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)
Prescription Custom Orthotics and Shoe Inserts (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) Also in Spanish
Foot and Ankle Rehabilitation Exercises (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - PDF
Mobility Aids: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Smoking and Bone Healing - A Risky Surgical Combination (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons)

Related Issues

Bone Healing (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish

Specifics

Bunions (Hallux Abducto Valgus) (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Burning Feet (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Cavus Foot (High-Arched Foot) (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Charcot Foot (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Equinus (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Flatfeet (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Flexible Flatfoot (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Foot Drop Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Fractures of the Fifth Metatarsal (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Ganglion Cyst (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Itchy Hands or Feet (VisualDX)
Lisfranc (Midfoot) Injury (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
Metatarsalgia (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Morton's Neuroma (Intermetatarsal Neuroma) (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Neuromas (American Podiatric Medical Association)
Osteoarthritis of the Foot and Ankle (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Peroneal Tendon Injuries (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Plantar Fibroma (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Plantar Fibroma and Plantar Fibromatosis (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)
Plantar Warts (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Progressive Collapsing Foot Deformity (Flatfoot) (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
Puncture Wounds (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Rheumatoid Arthritis of the Foot and Ankle (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)
Tailor's Bunion (Bunionette) (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Tarsal Coalition (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons)

Genetics

Bunion: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Feingold syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
Hand-foot-genital syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Images

Common Foot Problems (VisualDX)
Pitted Keratolysis (VisualDX)
Plantar Wart (VisualDX)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Foot Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Foot Injuries (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Neuroma (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References 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 Foot and Ankle Orthopaedic Surgeon (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)
Find a Podiatrist (American Podiatric Medical Association)
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Also in Spanish

Children

Clubfoot (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Clubfoot repair - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Flat Feet (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
In-Toeing (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Intoeing (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Out-Toeing (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Toe Walking (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Older Adults

Foot Problems (AGS Health in Aging Foundation)

Patient Handouts

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