Foot Problems and Foot Health

According to statistics from the latest World Health Organization report, about 80% of the world’s population suffers from foot and ankle diseases.

According to the podiatrist, among diseases, the most common are flat feet, valgus deformity of the big toe, and arthrosis of the ankle joint.

Causes of flat feet

Flat feet are by far the most common disease of the musculoskeletal system. It still starts in childhood, but sometimes parents simply do not attach importance to small changes in the foot, attributing everything to the still unformed children’s leg.

With flat feet in children, as a rule, there is a deformation of the longitudinal arch of the foot (flattening of the arch), the foot touches the floor with the entire sole.

Flat feet, in the main cases, is an acquired disease. Congenital flatfoot is extremely rare.

• Symptoms of flat feet

First of all, we want to note that only an orthopedic traumatologist can make a correct diagnosis. The examination is carried out using a tool (a device for express diagnosis of foot pathology).

You should immediately consult a doctor if the parents have identified the following symptoms in the child:

• while walking, the child’s legs are turned outward, there are signs of clubfoot (this position of the foot is observed with valgus flat feet when the muscles of the legs are poorly developed, unable to properly distribute the load and maintain the parallel position of the foot, which is the norm);
• when walking, the baby bends the foot inward, thereby stepping on the inside of the foot;
• complaints of frequent fatigue when walking;
• pain in the legs.

What is arthrosis of the ankle joint, what are the causes of its development?

The ankle joint is the connecting link between the leg bone and the talus bone of the foot, it performs tremendous work and is subject to enormous loads since it is affected by the entire body weight. With arthrosis, the tissues that form the joint are gradually destroyed due to mechanical influences, injuries, or diseases.

The main causes of the development of arthrosis of the ankle joint:

• neglected flat feet, valgus deformity of the foot;
• incorrect distribution of the load on the lower limbs associated with wearing shoes with high heels (improper lifting);
• diseases and injuries affecting the musculoskeletal system (weak ligamentous apparatus; diseases and injuries of the joints, fractures; pinched nerve endings in the lower back; osteochondrosis; diabetes mellitus; herniated discs, etc.);
• constant heavy loads on the joints (physical work with weight lifting, athletes, overweight people);
• heredity;
• disturbed metabolism

How to recognize arthrosis? Foot Health

First of all, you should pay attention to such symptoms:

• pain in the ankle joint, especially worth paying attention to if the pain appears when movement is resumed after a state of rest;
• pain during various loads on the legs (especially when lifting), crunching in the joints;
• increased fatigue;
• frequent dislocations, twisting of the legs, sprains.

All these reasons indicate that the muscle tissue, which should perform a stabilizing function and hold the joint while supporting the leg, is weakened, possibly, blood circulation is disturbed in the joint. With the development of arthrosis, the risk of frequent injuries and fractures is inevitable.