A bunion, also known as hallux valgus, is a deformity of the MTP joint connecting the big toe to the foot. The big toe often bends towards the other toes and the joint becomes red and painful. The onset of bunions is typically gradual. Complications may include bursitis or arthritis.
A podiatrist is a medical professional devoted to the treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg. The term originated in North America but has now become the accepted term in the English-speaking world for all practitioners of podiatric medicine. The word chiropodist was previously used in the United States, but it is now regarded as antiquated.
Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors, and congenital disorders.
Podiatry, or podiatric medicine and surgery, is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle and lower limb. The healthcare professional is known as a podiatrist. The US podiatric medical school curriculum includes lower extremity anatomy, general human anatomy, physiology, general medicine, physical assessment, biochemistry, neurobiology, pathophysiology, genetics and embryology, microbiology, histology, pharmacology, women's health, physical rehabilitation, sports medicine, research, ethics and jurisprudence, biomechanics, general principles of orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery, and foot and ankle surgery.
Diseases of the foot generally are not limited, that is they are related to or manifest elsewhere in the body. However, the foot is often the first place some of these diseases or a sign or symptom of others appear. This is because of the foot's distance from the central circulation, the heart and its constant exposure to pressures from the ground and the weight of the body.
A hammer toe, hammertoe or contracted toe is a deformity of the muscles and ligaments of the proximal interphalangeal joint of the second, third, fourth, or fifth toe, bending it into a shape resembling a hammer. In the early stage, a flexible hammertoe is movable at the joints; a rigid hammertoe joint cannot be moved and usually requires surgery.
Flat feet, also called pes planus or fallen arches, is a postural deformity in which the arches of the foot collapse, with the entire sole of the foot coming into complete or near-complete contact with the ground. Sometimes children are born with flat feet (congenital). There is a functional relationship between the structure of the arch of the foot and the biomechanics of the lower leg. The arch provides an elastic, springy connection between the forefoot and the hind foot so that a majority of the forces incurred during weight bearing on the foot can be dissipated before the force reaches the long bones of the leg and thigh.
A Lisfranc injury, also known as Lisfranc fracture, is an injury of the foot in which one or more of the metatarsal bones are displaced from the tarsus.
Podiatric Medical School is the term used to designate the institutions which educate students and train them to be podiatrists, which diagnose and treat conditions affecting the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg. In the United States, only schools which are accredited by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME) may earn the status of being a Podiatric Medical School. The Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree is commonly abbreviated D.P.M. degree. The D.P.M. degree is a prerequisite for an individual to be accepted into a CPME accredited residency. The preparatory education of most podiatric physicians — similar to the paths of traditional physicians — includes four years of undergraduate work, followed by four years in an accredited podiatric medical school, followed by a three- or four-year hospital-based podiatry residency. Optional one- to two-year fellowship in foot and ankle reconstruction, surgical limb salvage, sports medicine, plastic surgery, pediatric foot and ankle surgery, and wound care is also available.
Laser surgery is a type of surgery that uses a laser to cut tissue.
Tailor's bunion, also known as digitus quintus varus or bunionette, is a condition caused as a result of inflammation of the fifth metatarsal bone at the base of the little toe.
The Ponseti method is a manipulative technique that corrects congenital clubfoot without invasive surgery. It was developed by Ignacio V. Ponseti of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, US, in the 1950s, and was repopularized in 2000 by John Herzenberg in the US and Europe and in Africa by NHS surgeon Steve Mannion. It is a standard treatment for clubfoot.
The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) is a professional medical society of foot and ankle surgeons in the United States (US). Each of the over 7,700 members have graduated from one of nine podiatric medical schools in the US with a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree. ACFAS publishes the Journal of Foot & Ankle Surgery.
Unlike the flexible flat foot that is commonly encountered in young children, congenital vertical talus is characterized by presence of a very rigid foot deformity. The foot deformity in congenital vertical talus consists of various components, namely a prominent calcaneus caused by the ankle equines or plantar flexion, a convex and rounded sole of the foot caused by prominence of the head of the talus, and a dorsiflexion and abduction of the forefoot and midfoot on the hindfoot. It gets its name from the foot's resemblance to the bottom of a rocking chair. There are two subcategories of congenital vertical talus; namely idiopathic or isolated type, and non-idiopathic type, which may be seen in association with arthrogryposis multiplex congenital, genetic syndromes and other neuromuscular disorders.
The American Osteopathic Board of Orthopedic Surgery (AOBOS) is an organization that provides board certification to qualified Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) and non-osteopathic physicians who specialize in the medical and surgical treatment of disorders of the musculoskeletal system. The board is one of 16 medical specialty certifying boards of the American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), and was originally a subdivision of the American Osteopathic Board of Surgery until it became an independent board in 1978. Additionally, diplomates of the American Osteopathic Board of Orthopedic Surgery are eligible for membership in the American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Michael H. Wynn, D.P.M. is an American podiatrist practicing in Kingwood, Texas, specializing in surgical application of lasers in the treatment of foot and ankle disorders and carbon dioxide laser treatment of bunions.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to trauma and orthopaedics:
Philip Radovic, D.P.M. is a professor and podiatric surgeon practicing in South Orange County, California.
Treace Medical Concepts, Inc. is a medical device company, headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, specializing in the design, manufacture, and marketing of foot and ankle surgical devices and biologics. Lapiplasty, Treace’s novel primary surgical product, advanced the treatment of bunions, surgically correcting the metatarsal bone, for the first time, in all three dimensions.
Sinus tarsi syndrome is the clinical disorder of pain and tenderness in the sinus tarsi, which is a lateral tunnel in the foot at the junction of the hindfoot and the midfoot, between the ankle and the heel. Most of the time, sinus tarsi syndrome onsets after ankle sprains, however there can be other causes. There are a variety of treatments, divided into conservative treatments such as physical and orthotic therapy, and more invasive ones such as cortisone injections. The condition is somewhat poorly understood and is subject to heavy debate in the medical community.
