Foot & Ankle Specialty Blog

You might expect a back spasm after heavy lifting, but foot cramps tend to attack without warning — sometimes even in the dead of night. While the cramps often go away quickly, repeated bouts of them may need to be addressed.

What is a Stone Bruise?

A stone bruise is a pain in the ball of your foot. The infected area can include the toes up to where the foot arches. Due to misalignment and compression of nerve endings, characteristics include inflammation and pain in the affected area. There is rarely discoloration, even though it is called a bruise.

Broken or fractured bones in the lower leg aren’t all treated the same. Sometimes a cast is used, other times a boot is the preferred method of treatment and sometimes both are needed. Discover how surgeons and doctors determine which type of orthopedic device to use when working to treat a broken or fractured bone.

As rheumatoid arthritis (RA) starts to develop, the feet are often the first place to feel the symptoms. This chronic inflammatory disorder causes the body to attack itself, affecting all the different types of tissues from joints to skin.

Do your feet hurt? You are not alone – a recent survey by the American Podiatric Medical Association found that 77 percent of people in the United States have a foot problem. Fortunately, you can stretch your feet to alleviate pain and other foot problems; foot stretching can also help prevent painful foot issues. With practice, you can even take foot stretching to an art form that provides maximum relief from even the toughest foot problems.

Fifteen potentially dangerous snake species or subspecies call Texas home, but more people die every year from lightning strikes than venomous snakebites, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. On average, one to two people in Texas die annually from venomous snakebites.

Also referred to as Metatarsalgia, a stone bruise is a condition that affects the forefoot. This is the area between the toes and where the foot arcs. A stone bruise is characterized by pain and inflammation on the forefoot or the metatarsal, and more so between the phalanges. This condition occurs when two phalanges misalign and push against a nerve ending, therefore compressing it. It brings irritation to the surrounding nerves, causing them to be inflamed. A scar-tissue layer automatically forms around this area as the body seeks to protect these nerves.