Foot and Ankle Care

Your feet are what keep you moving through life, whether you’re walking around the office or running in a marathon. At Virtua Orthopedics & Spine, our podiatry team can keep you on your feet by evaluating, diagnosing, and treating common and complex foot and ankle conditions.

Signs and Symptoms of Foot and Ankle Conditions

Most Americans will experience foot pain at some point in their life, whether due to wear and tear or chronic inflammation. While foot conditions are common, it’s important to know when to see a doctor for your pain.

Sometimes, foot and ankle pain can be treated with a few days of rest and relaxation. But if you've been dealing with any of these symptoms, it could be a sign of something more serious, and it may be time to see a specialist:

• Numbness of the foot
• Pain in the heel, ball or arch of the foot
• Inability to perform daily activities without foot pain
• Change in sensation or color of the skin or toenails
• Persistent pain—sharp or dull—that lasts for more than two days
• Stiffness or the inability to rotate and stretch your ankle
• Instability or the unexplained loss of balance
• Swelling or tenderness that lasts for more than 48 hours
• Popping or snapping noises
• An out-of-place limb or joint
• Loss of function
• Deformity

Types of Foot and Ankle Conditions

Featuring 26 bones, 33 joints, 19 muscles, and over 100 ligaments, your feet and ankles are incredibly susceptible to injuries and issues due to everyday use.

At Virtua Orthopedics & Spine, our board-certified foot and ankle specialists (podiatrists) and sports medicine specialists treat all foot and ankle conditions, including:

• Osteoarthritis
• Traumatic injuries, such as sprains and fractures
• Overuse injuries, such as stress fractures
• Foot pain caused by chronic conditions such as diabetes
• Deformities, such as bunions, hammertoe, and flatfoot
• Achilles tendonitis
• Plantar fasciitis
• Heel spurs
• Ganglion cysts
• Gout
• Metatarsalgia (pain in the ball of your foot)
• Neuromas (growth of nerve cells following a nerve injury)
• Tendon and ligament tears/injuries

Our Approach to Foot and Ankle Pain

During your consultation, a Virtua foot specialist or sport medicine specialist will thoroughly examine your foot and ankle. This might include feeling for warmth and tenderness, measuring your range of motion, and identifying any unusual issues. From there, we might recommend additional testing, including:

• MRI or CT scan: These tests will capture clear images that can show issues affecting your bones, muscles, tissue, tendons, nerves, ligaments, and blood vessels in your feet or ankles.
• X-ray: This common test can detect fractures, broken bones, and arthritis in your feet.
• Blood tests: We might order this screening to see if an infection is causing you pain.

Foot and Ankle Pain Treatment

Whether you're dealing with pain from arthritis, a sudden injury, or a more complex condition, our foot and ankle specialists are here for you. At Virtua Orthopedics & Spine, our specialists will create personalized treatment plans designed to address whatever it is you're experiencing.

Depending on the severity of your condition, here's how we might approach your foot and ankle care:

• Pain management: A regimen of anti-inflammatory medications and corticosteroid injections could help with arthritis-related pain in your feet and ankles. We might also recommend a brace, splint, or inserts to help relieve and treat symptoms.
• Physical therapy: Our team of therapists will develop strength-building exercises and activities that can improve and restore mobility in your feet.
• Surgery: If your foot and ankle are not responding to conservative treatment methods, surgery might be your best option. Our team utilizes minimally invasive techniques whenever possible to repair and replace tendons, cartilage, ligaments, and other issues.