The Foot & Heel Pain Specialists
Thanks for visiting this page.
Why do you need our help?
Before going any further, let’s first look at the basic structure of the foot and what may be the reasons for you having Foot and Heel pain
Structure of Foot:
The foot is an intricate structure of 24 bones that form two arches. The longitudinal arch runs the length of the foot, and the transverse arch runs the width. The ankle joint is the interaction of the foot and the lower leg, and the toes are on the far side of the foot. The bones of the foot are primarily held together by the shape that they fit with each other and by a fibrous tissue known as ligaments. The muscles of the foot, along with a tough tendon /ligament tissue known as the plantar fascia, provide secondary support to the foot.
The foot has internal muscles that originate and insert in the foot and external muscles that begin in the lower leg and attach in various places on the bones of the foot. There are also fat pads in the foot to help with weight-bearing and absorbing impact during weight-bearing.
The foot is the foundation of most athletic movements. Pain indicates that there is something wrong with either the interaction of internal structures of the foot or with the how the foot is interacting with external influences. How and when the pain occurs and the locations of the pain are the primary clues to what may be causing the pain.
Causes of Foot-Pain:
Foot pain may be caused by many different things. Trauma, disease, or combinations of both are the most common causes of foot pain. Trauma is a result of forces outside of the body either directly impacting the body or forcing the body into a position where a single or combination of forces result in damage to the structures of the body. Poor biomechanical alignment may lead to foot pain.
Following Table displays the Summary of the Foot Problems
|
Foot Problems |
Area Affected |
Symptoms |
|
Corns and Calluses |
Around toes, usually little toe, bottom of feet or areas exposed to friction |
Hard , dead , yellowish skin |
|
In grow toenails |
Toe nails |
Nail curling into skin causes pain, swelling, and in extreme cases, infection |
|
Bunions and bunionettes (tailor’s bunion) |
Big toe(bunions) or little toe (bunionettes) |
Metatarsus primus varus: The first metatarsal bone shifts away from the second, and the big toe points inward. Medial exostosis: This is a bony bump at the base of the big toe, which protrudes outward. Area next to bony bump is red, tender, and occasionally filled with fluid. Toe joint may be inflamed Hallus valgus : This is a deformity in which the bone and joint of the big toe shift and grow inward, so that the second toe crosses over the big toe |
|
Interdigital neuroma |
Inflammation of the nerve, usually between the third and fourth toes and bottom of the foot near these toes |
Cramping and burning pain, or electric shock sensation. It is aggravated by prolonged standing and relieved by removal of the shoes and forefoot massage |
|
Hammertoe or claw toe |
Usually second toe, but may develop in any or all of the three middle toes |
Toes form hammer or claw shape. No pain at first , but pain increases as tendon becomes tighter and toes stiffen |
|
Metatarsalgia |
Ball of the foot |
Acute, recurrent, or chronic pain without a known cause. |
|
Stress Fracture |
Most often in the area beneath the second or third toe |
Sudden pain when injury occurs |
|
Sesamoiditis |
Ball of foot beneath big toe |
Pain and swelling |
|
Plantar fasciitis |
Back of the arch right in front of heel |
Pain is most severe with first steps after getting out of bed and then decreases and again increases with inactivity. |
|
Achilles tendinitis |
Area along the back between calf muscles and heel |
Pain worsens during physical activities, after which the tendon usually swells and stiffens. |
|
Tarsal Tunnel syndrome |
Bottom of the foot |
Numbness, tingling or burning sensations |
|
Flat Feet (PTTD) |
The arch |
First pain and weakness in tendon, then the arch flattens but is still flexible, the foot becomes rigid and possible painful at the ankle. |
|
High arches |
The arch |
High arches. Lower back pain |
There are different remedies available for the treatment of the above mentioned problems. Those remedies have their own drawbacks as well if the remedies are not used or taken properly or the problem is diagnosed incorrectly Let’s Discuss about the common drawbacks of using the common treatments for foot and heel pain
Cortisone ((HYDROCORTISONE): Commonly given by doctors. For plantar fasciitis, these painful injections will very rarely ever offer a "cure" - simply because the biomechanics of the foot have not been corrected and, whilst cortisone can be excellent in other musculoskeletal problems or injuries, its effects soon wear off in foot pain cases and the pain returns to a greater degree.
There is a small limit to the number of cortisone injections your doctor can safely give you without weakening the tissue. These individual jabs wear off quickly and can only "work" if the doctor locates the exact spot which can prove tricky! (These injections are also extremely painful.
Best avoided
OFF-THE-SHELF" ORTHOTICS: They are of limited use as they simply changes location of bones and muscles of foot from one wrong location to another.
PRESCRIPTION ORTHOTICS: They can be too rigid and often irritate the area they are supposed to heal.
HEEL GELS: Only gives temporary relief as the gel allows the feet to shift at the heel area, but in the long run it can make the tearing at the heel worse.
PHYSIOTHERAPY: Only temporary treatment and solution.
PAINKILLERS / ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES: They also offer short-term relief with the side affects of the drugs. They only mask the pain.
STRETCHING EXERCISES OR NIGHT SPLINTS: These can make the problem worse and are best avoided at all costs as they can simply worsen the tearing and inflammation.
STRAPPING: This is effective way of remedy if done daily and properly, but is time consuming. But it limits your daily activities.
OPERATIVE PROCEDURES:
It has been estimated that 20% of the population have calcaneal spurs and never suffer a single symptom. Heel "spurs" only occur on some patients with arch and heel pain. Operations to the plantar aponeurosis also make no sense as, if "lengthened", its rigid "body" still exists and merely carries on tearing and inflaming in its new longer shape! Any operative procedure also carries risks of going wrong and causing new or more severe problems, especially in the foot where surgery is in its infancy.
Because of these and other drawbacks we can help clients with our professional and experienced services.
Using our services here at FOOT PAIN PIONEERS can offer the following benefits:
- Our consultants spend 100% of their time diagnosing and treating plantar fasciitis and foot pain. They do not cut toe nails or treat skin problems. Neither do they manipulate, massage or perform acupuncture, using orthotics as a "sideline". 100% of their time is spent "specialising" in our own unique field of diagnosing and treating foot pain with orthotics.
- Our free consultation means that it costs you nothing to find out whether we can help you. We will not allow you to buy orthotics if we are not 100% certain we can help you.
- Our combination of unique methods of manufacture, coupled with laser scanning gives you an incredibly high chance of success
Your journey to us will be a very worthwhile one, no matter how far you travel - Our consultants have all suffered with foot pain at some stage, so you receive not only very expert help, but empathy and a willingness to go that extra mile to achieve your cure
We offer following Professional Services:
On your initial visit with us, we would take a thorough history and do a thorough examination of the problem that you have. Once we have determined that orthotics can help, we will then advise you of the costs involved. You are under no obligation to go ahead with the order.
If you decide to proceed with your orthotics, then we will proceed to take records of your feet.
Laser scanning is our preferred measurement technique and although not unique to us as a measuring device its use is excellent as a way of determining foot shape. However, it must be stated that a laser scan is merely a measuring device and it’s the tailor made orthotics where the unique manufacture comes into fruition. In other words, even ineffective orthotics can be made using laser measurement!! The technical work is carried out at our laboratory in the USA where the work is very advanced.
An after-care service may be required for some cases. Overall about 10% of our clients may need the aftercare visit. There are some cases where multiple adjustments are needed especially with a complicated case.
All our after-care and adjustments are completely free within the first year and given by highly experienced Biomechanics Consultants or technicians. Our orthotics are designed to return your feet to their ideal position generally known as sub-talar neutral. However (and this is where it gets complicated!) some clients have feet that they cannot cope with this position and we will need to re-assess this. Orthotic adjustment is generally a very poorly understood concept by practitioners in our field but we consider it absolutely vital. It is unrealistic to expect every client to adapt to their orthotics immediately without adjustment and the need for adjustment should never be looked upon as negative as this is never an indication of the final result
Adjustments can fall into following categories:
- Arch height adjustments(upper or lower adjustment)
- Adjustment to the rear and forefoot angles to cope with the client’s condition.
- Increase or decrease in the padding
- Shoe Fits.
100% money back guarantee
We offer a completely free consultation where one of our highly experienced biomechanics consultants will assess your suitability for our orthotics. If after using our tailor-made orthotics and taking advantage of our free aftercare service within the first year, (if needed) your pain has not gone, we will refund your money in full. It's as simple as that!