Arch pain and over-pronation can cause problems for people in every stage of life and can even distress an athlete’s performance during every type of activity. Three causes of this type of pain may be surprising to some who aren’t aware of them. Most of the causes are avoidable, while many can be hereditary. According to the Cleveland Clinic, 3 of the avoidable causes for arch pain include pointed-toe heels, shoes that are too snug, and deficient arch support. These poor decisions can all bring on painful foot conditions like bunions, hammertoes, and plantar fasciitis. The Mayo Clinic has found that 2 of the inherited foot problems that can bring on over-pronation and arch pain include flat feet or arches that are excessively high. Below are some common foot procedures that remedy these conditions and how each of them can be helped.
Serious Foot Issues Can Occur Without Proper arch support
Some of the hereditary foot conditions include either flat arches or excessively high arches. Arch malformations such as these affect normal and active people alike. The result of a flat arch can be arch pain and over-pronation because this weakened part of the foot is not functioning as it should. When this structure is not formed properly, foot over-pronation occurs which can bring on a heelspur, a bony protuberance in the heel. Surgery is sometimes needed to remove the boneprotrusion and relieve the irritation. The surgeon will use a bone saw to cut away the bony protrusion to relieve the discomfort and ripped muscle tissue it had been causing. The best alternative for treating both types of arch problems so heel spurs can be prevented is by supplying the foot with proper arch support through arch lifting shoes.
Bunions Aren’t Always Hereditary
Having a bunion removed, or a bunionectomy, is the process whereby the bump of bone just below the big toe is severed to obtain a more natural foot profile and width. In critical cases where the big toe has begun to turn under the other toes, the surgeon cuts a triangle-shaped portion out of the big toe’s bone to reset it to its normal position. One screw is used to hold the bone’s new position. After about 6 months, the screw is taken out of the bone. Though this disorder can be caused by pointed shoes, some bunion occurrences are hereditary. Surgeons confer that tight shoes that force the toes into an unnatural position can bring on bunions.
Without Proper Shoes, Painful Hammertoes Can Occur
Hammertoes can be brought on by pointy shoes or footwear that is snug. This disorder can affect walkers and runners that wear snug shoes during training as well. Hammertoes are, unfortunately, difficult to address without surgery. First, a surgeon can try to straighten the affected toe to try and coax it into a more natural placement. For this procedure to work, patients need to wear shoes with plenty of toe room. Hammertoes can recur if improper shoes are worn again. If taping the toe straight does not work, surgery is the only option. The afflicted toe must have a portion of the bone surgically removed to minimize its bend. The recovery period is very important, as patients who refuse to stay off their feet as suggested will fail to mend properly. The prevention for this condition is to wear roomy shoes.
Regardless of type of activity level, age, or heredity, foot conditions can happen to a large percentage of people. Though foot procedures can surgically fix these problems, most of the time they are never an issue if people wear well fitting shoes and appropriate arch support.
