There are actually not one but two unique variations of leg length discrepancies, congenital and acquired. Congenital means that you are born with it. One leg is anatomically shorter than the other. Through developmental periods of aging, …

Overview Heel spurs are abnormal bony growths that develop at the back of or under the heel. Inflammation around a spur, more so than the spur itself, can cause significant pain. Fortunately, symptoms can be eased with non-surgical treatme…

Overview A bone spur (osteophyte) is a bony growth that forms along the edge of normal bone in response to wear and tear, most frequently in the joints. A heel spur is a bone spur of the heel bone, which causes heel pain by rubbing on the …

Overview Bursitis commonly affects joints used in repeated motions such as throwing a ball, or joints that bear pressure from being in the same position for a while, such as leaning on your elbows. The most common spots for bursitis are th…

Overview What are hammertoes, mallet toes and claw toes? Often the words are used interchangeably to mean an abnormally contracted toe like the drawing above. Technically speaking, a "hammertoes" is the name for a toe that is contracted at…

Overview A hammertoes is a deformity of the second, third or fourth toe in which the toe becomes bent at the middle joint; hence, it resembles a hammer. Claw toe and mallet toe are related conditions. While hammertoes a hammer toe is contr…

Overview A bunion is a prominence over the inside part of the foot where the big toe joins the rest of the foot. Pressure on the prominence from shoes causes pain and swelling due to inflammation. The bunion occurs when the foot bone conne…

Overview While a slight amount of pronation is the proper means to absorb shock naturally, too much pronation (over-pronation) can potentially contribute to many maladies, which can sideline a runner. A foot that pronates excessively is on…

Overview Although the name might sound pretty frightening, Sever's disease is really a common heel injury that occurs in kids. It can be painful, but is only temporary and has no long-term effects. Sever's disease, also called calcaneal ap…

Overview Adult flatfoot refers to a deformity that develops after skeletal maturity is reached. Adult flatfoot should be differentiated from constitutional flatfoot, which is a common congenital non-pathologic foot morphology. There are nu…

Overview The most common causes of arch pain are repetitive activities, such as walking or running too far; jumping; or standing on hard surfaces for long periods of time. Injury, such as tears in the ligament called the plantar fascia. Th…

Overview Adult acquired flatfoot deformity or posterior tibial tendon dysfunction is a gradual but progressive loss of ones arch. The posterior tibial muscle is a deep muscle in the back of the calf. It has a long tendon that extends from …