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Although foot pain is never normal, it is very common and can often limit your ability to continue to function in normal living and normal life.  Due to the complexity of the foot structures (including 28 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and tendons, and an intricate web of nerves and blood vessels), there can be a large number of causes for foot pain.  Careful evaluation of your foot or ankles may be required to determine the cause of your aching feet.

Do you suffer from numbness or tingling in your feet? Neuropathy (nerve damage) is most commonly associated with diabetes, but there are nearly 100 other possible causes, including:

• a simple vitamin deficiency
• exposure to toxins
• complications from a kidney, liver or thyroid disorder
• an infection caused by another disease
• a traumatic injury

All of these can cause the nerves in your feet to become overly sensitive to pain or to become completely numb. The good news is that many of those aches and pains you thought you had to live with are treatable.

At Mountain West Foot & Ankle Institute, we will start by treating the symptoms to give you immediate pain relief. Then, we will work with you to diagnose the root cause and cure it as quickly as possible.

• diabetic neuropathy
• peripheral arterial disease (decreased blood flow to the legs and feet)
• foot ulcers and infections
• decreased circulation
  

1. Flat feet: Approximately 97 percent of Utah newborns appear to have flat feet. This is normal and should not concern parents.
2. Flexible feet: Since their bones are still developing, a newborn's feet should be flexible. You should call a foot specialist if you notice a foot that is tilted oddly on the leg, stiff and inflexible or contorted.
3. Baby shape: Most baby feet look like a "V," with a narrow heel. Any shape abnormalities can be fixed if caught early.
4. Reflexes: Run your finger from the bottom of the heel up to the big toe. Adults tend to curve their toes down while infants spread their toes apart. You only need to be concerned if there is no response at all.
5. Toes: Count them - There should be 10. Other abnormalities could include an unusually large toe or webbed toes.  A Utah foot specialist can tell you if treatment is required for a specific abnormality.

Maybe your toenail is ingrown.  You can also follow 7 simple steps to reduce the chance of nails becoming ingrown.

Our world consists of multiple small organisms that can cause an infection.  In fact, we are constantly being bombarded with information about infection risks, or lifestyle changes that are important to minimize infection.  Whether the infection comes from fungus, bacteria or even viruses, symptoms are usually similar and can be evaluated to determine if you have an infection.

The most common signs of infection include:

• Erythema:  Increased redness to the area (usually a bright red color)
• Edema:  Increased swelling or retained water to area.  Severe edema can lead to "shiny skin"
• Calor:  Increased heat to area
• Dolor: Increased pain, which may even be debilitating pain

Other signs may include fever, chills, nausea or vomitting.

As you look for these signs, you may have a better idea if you have an infection.

If you have a bunion, treatment options exist including conservative and surgical options.  Most of our patients come in after years of suffering and find the options are usually much better than they expected.  Don't you deserve to be without pain?

A common problem we encounter is curling toes, otherwise called hammertoes or mallet toes.  

What is this problem? 

What caused it and are there treatment options?

If you have curling toes, have toes that rub on your shoes, can't walk without toe pain, you may have hammertoes and should look for treatment options.  Here at Mountain West Foot & Ankle Institute, we see this problem regularly and can give you your options. 

You looked at your feet and found a lesions, a sore or a new area of thick skin on your feet.   Maybe you have thickening, or swelling under the skin.  Many different lesions, tumors or growths can be found on the feet and all can be treated. 
 

These are important questions that must be evaluated carefully.  Although dangerous lesions are uncommon on the feet, painful lesions, tumors or growths are very common.  To get your the appropriate treatment, it is important that you understand what is there...

Are You Gellin'?
Dr Scholls has created shoe inserts.
Spenco has them too
Walkfit has "orthotics"

With the new trends of barefoot running, shoes designed to simulate being barefoot and new shoes to exercise your feet and legs, the question about what shoes to buy has become more common.  How do you find a quality shoe?

As you look for quality shoes, whether for you or a family member, it is recommended that you follow some key recommendations.  Although shoes don't usually cause foot or ankle problems, they can aggrevate a problem or a good shoe can reduce associated problems and even discomfort.

As your feet carry your through life, a shoe (if chosen correctly) can greatly improve your comfort and your ability to continue to function.  Get a good shoe, you deserve it!

Nobody wants to live on crutches for weeks following foot surgery. And much as we like to kick off our shoes, prop up our feet and relax, even that gets old. After all, there's work to be done, games to be played and places to go.

Our goal is to get you back on your feet faster than you'd expect.

So if you've been putting off that bunion surgery, for example, for a "less busy" period of your life, don't. Instead, opt for Dr. Gibson's self-proclaimed "walking bunions" surgery, so nicknamed because patients can walk the same day.

If you've struggled with foot pain that never left after that bad sprain, ask us about our new surgery for Lisfranc injuries, a rare but painful condition in which a sprain has not fully healed.

Also, a new no-incision surgery can help your heel pain and get you back to normal shoes within days.  Usually, plantar fasciitis or heel spur surgeries would take you off your feet for weeks, but not with this new revolutionary procedure for heel pain. 

The foot is a complex biological masterpiece consisting of 28 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and tendons and an intricate web of nerves and blood vessels.

Monthly newsletters are provided by Mountain West Foot & Ankle Institute to provide helpful information on foot and ankle related health.

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