Conditions

Anyone who has ever had an elevated blood sugar level is at risk for foot complications. It may be as simple as knowing that once in your life, even during pregnancy, you have had an elevated blood sugar level. If so, you are at risk and must monitor your feet.

Diet-controlled diabetics, whether diagnosed as an adult or as a child, have feet at risk for diabetic complications. The simple rule: If you have ever been told that you are at risk of developing diabetes, you need to monitor your feet closely to prevent complications.

The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body. It connects the upper calf muscles to the back of the heel bone. Achilles tendinitis is an injury to this tendon that causes pain in the back of the leg. Typically this injury results from inflammation of the surrounding sheath (paratenonitis), degeneration within the tendon (tendinosis), or a combination of the two.

The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in your body. It connects the upper calf muscles to the back of the heel bone. Achilles tendinosis is a condition in which the Achilles tendon degenerates and becomes inflamed. Sometimes, it may also be called Achilles tendinitis. If you have Achilles tendinosis, your tendon can swell and become painful. This condition is common in athletes, runners, and people who have calf tightness. Achilles tendinosis may occur in the middle of the tendon (known as midsubstance Achilles tendinosis) or at the point where the tendon connects to the heel bone (known as insertional Achilles tendinosis).

Acquired adult flatfoot deformity (AAFD) is a progressive flattening of the arch of the foot that occurs as the posterior tibial tendon wears down. It has many other names such as posterior tibial tendon dysfunction, posterior tibial tendon insufficiency and dorsolateral peritalar subluxation. This problem may progress from early stages with pain along the posterior tibial tendon to advanced deformity and arthritis throughout the hindfoot (back of the foot) and ankle.

The ankle is made up of three bones:

• the tibia (shin bone), which forms the inside, front, and back of the ankle
• the fibula, which forms the outside of the ankle
• the talus, a small bone that sits between the tibia and fibula and the heel bone

The ends of these bones are called malleoli. The tibia has a medial (inside) malleoli and a posterior malleoli. The fibula forms the lateral (outside) malleoli.

An ankle sprain refers to tearing of the ligaments of the ankle. The most common ankle sprain occurs on the lateral (outside) part of the ankle. There's a good chance that while playing sports as a child or stepping on an uneven surface as an adult you sprained your ankle—some 25,000 people do it every day. It can happen in the setting of an ankle fracture (i.e., when the bones of the ankle also break). Most commonly, however, it occurs in isolation.

The pain and stiffness you feel in your feet and ankles as you age could be arthritis. If left untreated, this nagging pain can get worse over time, eventually making it difficult to walk even short distances. Severe arthritis can restrict your mobility, but with proper treatment, you can minimize the pain and maximize your quality of life.

Arthritis is a broad term for a number of conditions that destroy the workings of a normal joint. Arthritis may occur in your back, neck, hips, knees, shoulders or hands, as well as your feet and ankles. Almost half of people in their 60s and 70s have arthritis of the foot and/or ankle, but not all of them have symptoms.

Athlete’s foot (tinea pedis) is caused by several types of fungal organisms. It is quite common and usually easily treated. Two approaches, changing socks and shoes frequently and administering local medications, usually resolve infection.

If the joint that connects your big toe to your foot has a swollen, sore bump, you may have a bunion. More than one-third of women in America have bunions, a common deformity often blamed on wearing tight, narrow shoes and high heels. Bunions may be hereditary, but many are from wearing tight shoes, and 9 out of 10 bunions occur in women. Too-tight shoes also can cause foot problems such as corns, calluses, and hammertoes.

If you have a painful swollen lump on the outside of your foot near the base of your little toe, it may be a bunionette​ ("tailor's bunion"). Similar to a bunion, bunionettes can be caused by wearing shoes that are too tight. 

Charcot arthropathy, also known as Charcot foot and ankle, is a syndrome in patients who have peripheral neuropathy, or loss of sensation, in the foot and ankle. Patients may experience fractures and dislocations of bones and joints with minimal or no known trauma.