| Medical Dictionary |
A Medical Dictionary of Medical Terminology
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Fourteen of the 26 bones in your feet are in your toes. The toes, particularly your big toe, help you move and keep your balance. Playing sports, running, stubbing your toe, and dropping something on your foot can damage your toes. Wearing shoes that are too loose or too tight can also cause toe problems. Certain diseases, such as severe arthritis, can cause toe problems and pain. Gout often causes pain in the big toe.
Common toe problems include :
Treatments for toe injuries and disorders vary. They might include shoe inserts or special shoes, padding, taping, medicines, rest, and in severe cases, surgery.
Cartilage is the tough but flexible tissue that covers the ends of your bones at a joint. It also gives shape and support to other parts of your body, such as your ears, nose and windpipe. Healthy cartilage helps you move by allowing your bones to glide over each other. It also protects bones by preventing them from rubbing against each other.
Injured, inflamed, or damaged cartilage can cause symptoms such as pain and limited movement. It can also lead to joint damage and deformity. Causes of cartilage problems include :
Osteoarthritis results from breakdown of cartilage.
NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Corns and calluses are caused by pressure or friction on your skin. They often appear on feet where the bony parts of your feet rub against your shoes. Corns usually appear on the tops or sides of toes while calluses form on the soles of feet. Calluses also can appear on hands or other areas that are rubbed or pressed.
Wearing shoes that fit better or using non-medicated pads may help. While bathing, gently rub the corn or callus with a washcloth or pumice stone to help reduce the size. To avoid infection, do not try to shave off the corn or callus. See your doctor, especially if you have diabetes or circulation problems.
NIH: National Institute on Aging
Each of your feet has 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 tendons, muscles, and ligaments. No wonder a lot of things can go wrong. Here are a few common problems:
Ill-fitting shoes often cause these problems. Aging and being overweight also increase your chances of having foot problems.
If you are like most people, you walk thousands of steps each day. You walk to do your daily activities, get around, and exercise. It's something that you usually don't think about. But for those people who have a problem with walking, daily life can be more difficult.
Walking problems may cause you to:
The pattern of how you walk is called your gait. Many different diseases and conditions can affect your gait and lead to problems with walking. They include:
To make a diagnosis, your health care provider will ask about your medical history and do a physical exam. This will include checking your bones and muscles and doing a neurological exam. In some cases, you may have other tests, such as lab or imaging tests.
What are the treatments for walking problems?Treatment of walking problems depends on the cause. If the cause is a medical condition, treating that condition often improves your walking. Some common types of treatments for walking problems may include: