The Foot Posture Index
Most of the students that come to me during their training have no heard of this, but are more familiar with the rather esoteric ways of measuring ankle in the foot. They often loose site of what the purpose of it all is and make it much more complicated that it really is. The loose site of the big picture and focus on the minute numbers. I teach them about the Foot Posture Index, so they can better focus on what the foot is rather than attach something mystical to all the numbers that they seem to put too much faith in.
Foot Reading
This is nutty. The whole purpose of “foot reading” is to determine people personality characteristics by looking at their feet. I have look at a lot of feet and I can not tell their personality form them!
Its can even be dangerous. There was a case highlighted here in which a Foot Reader was asking advice on a foot reading forum about how to interpret a black mark in the nail that sounded suspiciously like a malignant melanoma! Foot reading may be fine for entertainment and that is all! Others think that it could be an April Fools joke.
Fish Pedicure
The media love doing stories on this! The fish pedicure uses a small fish to eat the callus and dry skin on the foot. A number of spas around the world are offering this approach and it is becoming more popular. As to how effective it is, I do not know. I have not tried it, but do see a lot of testimonials on websites for it and they love it.
There are concerns about the infection risks from the water and the fish, which may or may not be valid. Health regulatory authorities are looking closely at this issue and some local agencies have banned the practice for that reason. As log as precautions are taken for a fish pedicure (eg no breaks in the skin), this should not be a problem or an issue for concern.
Forefoot Varus
Forefoot varus is an uncommon biomechanical dysfunction of the foot that causes the foot to pronate. It is due to a bony deviation that causes the foot to pronate or flatted to get to the ground. The only way to manage this type of flat foot is with foot orthotics. No amount of exercises or muscles strengthening will change anything, as the foot as to flatten to get to the floor.
Determining if forefoot varus is actually present or not is crucial, as there are potential problems if it is diagnosed as being present when its not (see this). The idea being is that if you use a forefoot varus post when there is no forefoot varus, then this will jam up the first pay to end range of motion and potentially be painful (more on this). Most cases of forefoot varus get confused with the soft tissue version of forefoot supinatis (link). There is a good collection resources here on this issue and its importance.
Foot Pain
If you have foot pain, then the internet is a treasure trove of information as well as misinformation! A recent study on the quality of foot care information on the web did raise some concerns with it:
The overall quality of Internet information for common foot and ankle diagnoses is variable, raising concerns about what information is currently available to patients.
There is no substitution for good quality advice from a licensed health professional versus an anonymous blogger!
Some source of infromation are better than other. I have found two sites that professionals answer questions on foot problems to be particularly helpful: Foot Health Forum and Podiatry Experts. Like any online advice, take the information with caution.
Chi Running
There are many different ways for runners to fine true their running technique and each of them claims to be the best (which is problematic as how can they be?). Chi running is just one of those techniques that a re widely being promoted. We are seeing more and more runners that are getting an injury from trying the Chi running technique.
There are plenty of discussions on the pros and cons of Chi running and analysis of the claims made for it (see this). Most of the claims are exaggerated and do not stack up to detailed scrutiny. Chi running is helpful for some runners and not for others.
Cuboid Syndrome
This is a relatively common problem due to what appears to be a subluxation of the cuboid bone. Mostly due to some dysfunction with the stability of the bone being easily moved by the peroneus longus tendon that passes under it. Usually the subluxation is best (ref):
Over the longer term foot orthotics (ref) may be needed to help with the stability of the lateral column of the foot. low dye strapping may be helpful in the short term (ref).
Corns on the Foot
This is probably the most common problem that is seen by podiatrists either for regular routine care or for surgical correction of the underlying problem that is causing the corn.
There is plenty that can be done to help this problem and plenty of online advice available (link). The best advice is anything that you can do to get pressure of the area that the corn is on will help with the symptoms. This means better fitting shoes with more room for the toes. It means the wearing of padding to straighten toes and relieve the pressure. Most important do not use the so-called corn cures as they do not work over the longer term. If this is not helping, then see a podiatrist. There is no point putting up with these.
Chinese Foot Binding
This was a bizarre torture that was carried out in ancient China in which the feet of young girls were tightly bound to create a lotus foot, which is a significant deformity and a very small foot. A foot of this nature was considered more erotic in ancient Chinese culture. It results in significant pain and disability.
Fortunately the practice is no longer carried out. There has been some interesting research and commentary on this (link) with some suggesting the the practice continue today via female putting there feet into tightly fitting shoes for erotic reasons and ending up with deformed feet in older age! (more videos)
Charcot Foot
This is an unusual and complicated complication of the foot in diabetes. It follows a softening of the bone a subsequent dislocation of the joints and a fracture of the bones in those who general have a nerve problem resulting in them not feeling pain. In this situation, the consequences of all this can be quite severe and difficult to treat.
This problem is becoming more common as the diabetes and obesity epidemic takes hold. This really is a medical emergency as continued weightbearing on the foot will only worsen the problem and this condition really needs to be placed in a plaster cast as soon as possible to prevent further damage (ref). There is plenty of information on the web on this condition.