The feet represent the foundations of the body. Posture, body alignment and global health depend directly on these highly solicited and often neglected limbs.

Do you recognize any of the following symptoms?

• Pain and inflammation of the feet

  Symptoms

  • Painful inflammation
  • Pain activated by movement or palpation
  • Swelling and redness
  • Inflammation, pain, swelling and redness
  • Inflammation of the tissues
  • Pain when walking or caused by a pressure

  Causes

  • Bursitis
  • Bunions
  • Neuromas
  • Sesamoids
  • Tendonitis

  Chronic pain of the feet may be the result of a repetitive friction in a narrow or maladjusted shoe. In some cases, they are caused by an inflammatory disease such as rheumatoid arthritis. Women wearing uncomfortable shoes are more subject than men to deformities such as bunions or bone excrescences.

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• Hard skin and fissure

  Symptoms

  • Localized thickening of the skin that will harden.
  • Generally painless, they can sometimes fissure causing pain.

  Causes

  • Callosities
  • Bunions
  • Corns

  Callosities represent the thickening of the outer layer of the skin. They are often found underfoot, in places where the pressure increased, and also around heels. Corns are smaller and constitute a thickening which is circular and well-defined. They usually form in a precise pressure or friction point. They are sometimes present underfoot, on top or on the sides of the toes and for example, in the presence of hammer toes.

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• Ankle pain

  Symptoms

  • Persistent pain
  • Problem in controlling the ankle
  • Repetitive sprains
  • Limited endurance for walking and running
  • Nocturnal leg pain
  • Burning or formication sensation
  • Ankle pain radiating towards the toes, aggravating generally when walking

  Causes

  • Tarsal tunnel syndrome
  • Tendinitis

  The most common ankle pain are those caused by a sprain or an inflammation of the tissues close to the nerve. There is often a loss of muscle strength in the leg and the damaged ligaments are deficient in the movement. Further ankle pain may result from tendinitis, a little fracture inside the ankle, a nerve compression, arthritis, misalignment of the feet, etc.

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• Forefoot pain

  Symptoms

  • Pain localized around the forefoot
  • Emergence of calluses under the pressure points

  Metatarsalgia means the plantar pain of the forefoot. With age, the protecting adipose tissue becomes thinner, exposing the ball bones (head of metatarsals) to a greater pressure when the foot touches the ground causing pain in this area.

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• Infection of the feet

  Symptoms

  • Desquamation of the skin (peeling of skin)
  • Itching
  • Formation of callosities
  • Misaligned foot
  • Lesion with or without sign of infection

  Causes

  • Athletic foot (tinea pedis)
  • Diabetic foot
  • Foot sweating (bromidrose)
  • Plantar wart

  Skin of the feet infections are a widespread problem. They may appear in hot humid environments like shoes or public areas such as dressing rooms and pools. They are closely related to an excessive sweating. Poor blood circulation caused by diabetes may also slow down the healing process in case of injuries, increasing the risk of infection.

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• Plantar warts

  Symptoms

  • Lesion shown on the foot
  • Might be painful or not
  • Multiplication and contamination

  Causes

  Skin lesion affecting the sole of the foot and having a rough appearance, bumpy or emphasized and sometimes marked by a dark spot at its centre. They are mainly found on ground contact areas: toes, sole of the foot, heel and also at the foot extremities. Very contagious, warts may multiply underfoot, grouped or isolated. This lesion is generated by the papilloma virus. A virus that may infect the skin of the foot when it has undergone an abrasion, a cut or has been put into contact with the virus in a humid area such as a gymnasium, pool, shower, etc.

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• Heel pain

  Symptoms

  • Pain mainly under the heel and/or in the arch, when standing and following an extended standing position.

  Causes

  • Plantar fasciitis
  • Heel spur syndrome

  Heel pain can be caused for various reasons such as: wearing inappropriate shoes, a sudden physical activity or weight increase, a fall (injury), a change of the foot shape (arthritis), as well as a biomechanics misalignment etc.

  Plantar fasciitis or heel spur syndrome, is a common foot problem. The plantar fascia is a strong ligament covering all the sole of the foot linking heel to toe. In an upright position and when walking, it supports the arch of the foot. When there is a substantial stretching or a rupture, a painful inflammation is created at the heel or all along the fascia, underfoot.

  Heel spur syndrome is a calcification of the point where the plantar fascia joins the heel bone, forming a little bone excrescence, allowing the heel to better resist to an increased tension of the fascia. It’s usually when the plantar fascia is inflamed that you can feel the symptoms.

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• Toe pain

  Symptoms

  • Infection of the adjacent skin
  • Redness, pain and infection
  • Separation, thickening and discoloration of the nail (yellow, white, brown)
  • Possible pain on top and both sides of the nail
  • Over time, development of horn
  • Pain on top of the toes caused by friction
  • Deformities of the toes, folding in a claw-like shape

  Causes

  • Ingrown toenail
  • Hammer toe
  • Fungal infection (onychomycosis)

  The ingrown toenail occurs when one side of the nail gets in the skin resulting in a wound and inflammation. It is often caused by a bad cut of the nail, a congenital deformity of the nail or following a traumatism, arthritis, the wearing of maladjusted shoes, etc.

  Hammer toes are defined as being a bone deviation of the toes that can be flexible, semi-flexible or rigid. They are normally caused by a muscle imbalance related to a faulty biomechanics, different types of arthritis or a traumatism.

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• Deformities of the feet

  Symptoms

  • Corns, calluses, etc
  • Biomechanics misalignment causing pain in the feet, ankles, legs, knees and back.

  Causes

  A high arch can be congenital, genetic and/or neurological. It is also characterized by various squeletal or muscle foot deformities. The result is a very low position of the ball of the foot in relation to its rear part, a prominent arch of the foot, claw toes and an outward heel.

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• Asymetric legs

  Symptoms

  • Often unilaterals, associated pains may be found at different levels : feet, ankles, knees, hips and lower back.
  • An imbalance can be observed when walking.

  Causes

  This pathology occurs when a leg is shorter than the other. It may be caused by an uneven growth or by the wearing of a plaster in children, a surgery, an imbalance at the pelvis level or a spinal deviation (scoliosis). Human body being naturally asymetrical, patients generally don’t feel the pain when the difference is under 5 mm.

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