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When your feet hurt, your entire body hurts. Bearing the brunt of our day to day activities, it's not surprising that our feet often ache at the end of the day, or worse, experience problems such as flat feel, heel pain and bunions that require professional treatment. Fortunately, by paying your feet extra care and attention, choosing the appropriate footwear, and visiting your Middletown podiatrist for treatment, you can prevent foot complications and ensure your feet stay healthy to support your active lifestyle. Relieving Bunions Bunions present themselves as an abnormal bony prominence over the big toe joint. Caused by a misalignment of the big toe joint, the big toe generally bends toward the others, growing larger in size. These can become painful and stiff, prohibiting normal mobility and function. Bunions can form for various reasons, including abnormalities in foot function or arthritis, but are most commonly caused by wearing tight and constrictive footwear. Because of this, women are affected by bunions more than men due to the frequent wearing of pointy-toed, high-heeled shoes. To relieve the pain and reduce the bony prominence, you need to identify the source of the problem. In most cases, bunions can be treated conservatively and permitted to heal on their own by modifying footwear, wearing shoe inserts and applying ice. Generally bunions get worse over time unless the problem causing the bunion is eliminated. For severe cases, a surgical procedure may be required to remove the bunion, alleviate the pain and restore the toe to its normal function. Leveling with Flat Foot You have flat feet when the arch on the inside of your foot has fallen. Both feet may be affected or only one. This condition is very common and most people with flat feet go their entire lives without experiencing pain or discomfort. For others, however, having flat feet causes a number of symptoms, such as foot and leg pain, calf and ankle pain, and inflammation. While it's not necessary to have an arch to walk, run or live normally, it is very common for people with little or no arch to have pain and discomfort that can lead to more serious problems, such as bunions, calluses, shin splints, tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis. Treatment for flat feet isn't necessary if you aren't experiencing pain. For noticeable pain, however, anti-inflammatory medications, icing, physical therapy, supportive taping, bracing, and orthotics are common treatments for painful progressive flat foot. Your podiatrist can help determine the best course of treatment for your symptoms. Heel Pain Caused by Plantar Fasciitis The most frequent cause of heel pain is inflammation of the plantar fasciitis, a thick, dense band of tissue along the bottom of your foot that connects your heel bone to your toes. When the stress is too much, this tissue can stretch and tear, causing inflammation, irritation and pain under the heel. Flat feet, high arches, poor fitting footwear, weight gain and running can all contribute to plantar fasciitis, and this condition is especially common among athletes who run and jump frequently. Symptoms of plantar fasciitis include a shooting pain in the heel, with pain being worse in the morning or after long periods of resting. You can reduce the strain and stress on the plantar fascia with ice, rest, shoe modification and stretching. If the heel pain persists, see your podiatrist in Middletown for more advanced treatments, such as shoes pads, orthotics and splints. Foot pain is never normal, so visit your Middletown podiatrist if you notice unusual symptoms or discomfort. From heel pain and bunions to flat feet, podiatrists can determine the cause of your foot pain and work with you to determine the best treatment.
Foot & Ankle Institute of New England is a leading podiatrist in Warwick and Middletown in RI and Fall River in MA. Providing quality foot care for infants, children and adults from three convenient locations, this Fall River, Warwick and Middletown podiatrist offers an array of foot and ankle treatments, including heel pain relief and flat foot care.
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