FOOT AND ANKLE CONDITIONS AND THEIR TREATMENT - BY ABDUL RAUF

 

FOOT AND ANKLE CONDITIONS AND THEIR TREATMENT - BY ABDUL RAUF

Nowadays many people suffer from foot and ankle conditions and needs permanent solution to it. God has gifted us superb support, mobility, and balance and our feet having amazing complexity and strength. They are tough and can endure a lot of pressure while also absorbing a lot of stress. We often take our feet for granted. We often underestimate our abilities to stand, walk, run, jump, and perform a number of different tasks.  Any problem with the feet might have serious consequences for other parts of the body. By causing pain, irritation, or discomfort, foot and ankle disorders can make it difficult to get around. While some foot problems have minor symptoms and are mostly cosmetic in nature, others might make it difficult to maintain a healthy active lifestyle. It's important to pay attention to foot and ankle problems because if left untreated, they can be worse over time. While some issues can be handled with over-the-counter medications and at-home remedies, others require the attention of a healthcare professional. Here's a look at some of the most common foot and ankle issues and what you should know about them.

COMMON FOOT AND ANKLE CONDITIONS

Many foot and ankle disorders are caused by physical or accidental trauma. Any of the structures in feet or ankles can be affected by foot and ankle problems. Foot has twenty-six 26 bones and thirty-three 33 joints, while ankle has three 3 primary bones. Foot and ankle complex also contains various ligaments, tendons, nerves, and muscles. Ligaments connect bones to one another and provide a joint support. Tendons attach muscles contain a complex network of blood skin, nerves, blood vessels and soft tissue. Many foot and ankle problems cause pain as a symptom. Depending on the condition, the type of pain varies. Acute, chronic, dull, achy, or sharp pains are all possibilities. It can also be constant, come and go, or worsen as a result of certain behaviors. Here are some of the common symptoms of foot and ankle conditions that can make it more difficult for your foot to function properly:

•Defects or Deformities: Foot, ankle and toe injuries can be caused by a variety of disorders and ankle and toe deformities, however certain abnormalities, such as clubfoot and cavus foot, are present at birth, while others develop as a result of an injury, such as Charcot foot.

• Fractures and dislocations: A fracture, sprain, or bruise towards the foot or ankle can happen suddenly. Injuries, on the other hand, can be chronic and develop over time.

 • Athlete's Foot: The transmission of fungus in wet, public settings spreads this dangerous foot condition.  Redness, itchiness, scaling, or peeling skin, usually between the toes or on the bottom of the foot are common symptoms.

• Nerve-related conditions including Morton’s neuroma: High-heels, tight shoes, an abnormal gait or repetitive movements cause thickening of the tissue around the nerves in the ball of the foot.

• Repetitive strain-related injuries: Wearing shoes that don’t fit right can also cause gradual trauma and encourage conditions, such as tendinitis in the ankle, foot or toes, hammer toe, bunions, heel spurs and metatarsalgia which is a painful condition that affects the toes (pain at the ball of foot).

• Corns:  On the toes and sole of your foot, thickened, round areas of skin.

• Gout: Excess uric acid builds up in the joints of the big toe, which can be uncomfortable.

• Plantar warts: Flat growths on the bottoms of the feet that can make walking difficult.

• Nail infection caused by fungus: As fungi enter the toenail, the result is yellow, flaky, streaky, and crumbling toenails.

• Achilles tendinitis: Back pain in the heel or ankle that gets worse because of increasing activities.

• A sprain of the ankle: Swelling or pain in the ankle, sprained ankles, toe and foot bruises, Achilles tendon injuries, ligament rips, and foot sores and infections are all soft tissue injuries. A stress fracture in the foot is another example of a repetitive stress/strain injury.

 • Arthritis of the ankle: In the ankle joints, there is pain, stiffness, and swelling.

• A fractured ankle: Swelling, soreness, a popping sound, or troubles putting weight on the ankle are all signs that something is wrong.

•Diabetic neuropathy is a diabetic serious condition: Tingling and pins and needles are experienced as a result of nerve damage caused by uncontrolled blood sugar levels.

TREATMENT OF FOOT AND ANKLE PROBLEMS

If you notice symptoms in your foot or ankle, don't wait to contact your doctor. In general, the sooner you get therapy, the better your chances of a positive outcome. Your accurate foot and ankle treatment will be determined by your condition. The main treatment goals are to correct any physical issues and to improve symptoms. Physical therapy is frequently recommended by doctors to improve in the achievement of these objectives. Some conditions may require medication, corticosteroid injections, or foot and ankle surgery. Anti-inflammatory medicines may help if the condition is caused by a minor injury.  Depending on the condition or injury, if the condition is due to major injury, it may lead to surgery. The injury will be performed by an orthopedic surgeon. In order to stable the ankle orthopedic uses plate and screws or screws and a rod. Plates and rods are attached to the bone fragments to realign the fibula to heal properly. The specialists see a high volume of complex cases and the physicians needed to treat their condition. The treatment of foot and ankle injuries composed multiple disciplines, including:

•Orthopedic surgery

 •Orthoplasty

 •Orthotists (brace makers)

 •Physiatry

 •Physical therapy

 •Radiology

 •Rheumatology

 •Sports medicine

 •Vascular medicine

To evaluate for foot and ankle conditions latest diagnostic tests and tools needed, including:

•CT scans

•MRI

•Musculoskeletal ultrasound

•Weight-bearing CT scan

The feet are amazing in their complexity. They are strong and hard, and can bear a lot of strain and stress. However, particularly susceptible to a wide range of foot problems. It is important to take proper care of your feet and get treatment from a foot and ankle expert in order to protect them. It is often possible to avoid further harm by seeking orthopedic treatment at the first sign of discomfort or strain. Foot injuries should be addressed as soon as possible to help speed up recovery and ensure the best potential outcome. Wearing the right shoes for activity and exercise, as well as stretching and warming up before exercise, can help you avoid injuries. In addition to protecting feet, we can strengthen them to help them work better. First, we can stretch out our calf muscles so that they work better as shock absorbers for our feet. Second, we can keep our feet flexible so that they work better. This is especially true for people who have a stiff high arch. Third, we can keep our legs and feet in good condition. Walking, dancing, yoga, and bicycling are among the best exercises for our legs and feet. Wearing sandals that are contoured to fit the shape of our foot and which have enough cushioning is actually good exercise for the feet. Such sandals are much more widely available than they used to be.