Foot Health Essex in Tiptree

Are you struggling with lower limb or foot pain?

At Foot Health Essex we provide treatments for a wide range of lower limb and foot pain problems.  We are HCPC Registered and have many years' experience of helping people with foot and lower limb pain.  We offer a wide range of treatments and will ensure you receive the right treatment for your issues.

Arch Pain

The term arch pain (often referred to as arch strain) refers to an inflammation and/or burning sensation at the arch (the instep) of the foot. It is often caused by a structural imbalance (flat feet, over pronation) or an injury to the foot.

Treatment aims to provide arch support which will also control over pronation and provide the necessary relief.

Morton's Neuroma

This condition is generally caused by entrapment of the interdigital nerve lying between the third and fourth metatarsal bones. Morton’s Neuroma exhibits similar symptoms to Metatarsalgia (ball of foot pain), but may also cause numbness, tingling and discolouration of the third and fourth (lesser) toes.

Treatment will greatly assist in the early stages of Morton’s Neuroma when damage to the nerve sheath is minimal by re-aligning the metatarsal shafts and preventing interdigital nerve jamming.

Achilles Tendinitis

Achilles Tendinitis occurs from shearing and stretching (tractional) forces placed on the Achilles tendon at the back of the heel. Excess pronation causes the heel bone to tilt excessively and places extra strain on the tendon. Inflammation of the tendon is a common result along with tightening of the calf muscles.

Treatment will aim to align the heel bone and significantly reduces the shearing and stretching forces on the Achilles tendon, thereby providing relief from Achilles pain.
 

Ball of Foot Pain

Ball of foot pain (metatarsalgia) often causes a burning sensation in the ball of the foot, may present with a callus and can be very painful. It occurs from rotation and dropping (plantar flexion) of the metatarsal bones along with excess pronation and weakening of the soft tissue (ligament and muscle) structures.

Treatment aims to align the central three metatarsal shafts using a 5mm metatarsal raise to correctly position and maintain the metatarsal bone position. By balancing the weight distribution over the metatarsal bones, this helps remove excess weight and friction, which commonly causes the callus and burning sensation.
 

Children’s Heel Pain - Sever's Disease (Calcaneal Apophysitis)

This is a common condition with children between the ages of 8-14 years, affecting predominantly boys. This pain occurs at the back of the heel bone often during or after sporting activity. Many children’s bones (including the heel bone) are not fully developed (set or ossified) at this age and high activity may disrupt the growth plates causing inflammation and pain. The condition can be quite debilitating and may require complete rest from activity.

Treatment will aim to control excess pronation of the foot and thereby stabilizes the heel bone and its growth plate. Stretching of the calf muscles is commonly advised.

Bunion/Hallux Abductovalgus

A bunion is a bony lump that gradually develops on the big toe joint over time. It can sometimes be very painful and at other times exhibit no pain at all. Excess pronation places excess weight over the big toe joint while walking, and combined with a forefoot (or Metatarsal bone) abducted position, causes a bunion to develop.

Treatment aims to control excess pronation and redistribute the weight evenly over the foot to prevent (or reduce) the gradual growth of a bunion. Surgery may sometimes be indicated.

Flat Feet

Generally, a flat-footed person is only suffering from a functional flat foot caused by excess pronation. Excess Pronation causes the foot’s arch to collapse & elongate giving the appearance of a flat foot. A functional flat foot generally exhibits symptoms ranging from sore/tired feet to general leg fatigue and body aches.

Treatment aims to control excess pronation, thereby restoring the foot’s arch to normal.
 

Knee Pain

Patellofemoral syndrome. This type of knee pain is commonly caused by excess pronation which causes the lower leg (the tibia and fibula) to rotate internally. In turn, this will put excessive forces on the knee cap and over time it will weaken the muscles and ligaments in the knee joint. Often, a ‘grinding’ sensation is experienced in the knee, combined with a sharp pain.

Treatment aims to support the arches and re-align the lower limb, orthotics stop the leg from rotating internally, thereby effectively taking away this common cause of knee pain.
 

Outside Knee and Hip Pain (Ilio-tibial Band Syndrome) is a common condition in athletes caused by abnormal friction and rubbing of the Llio-tibial band muscle over the knee and hip joints. This condition commonly exhibits a gradual but rather severe pain on the outside knee joint and less commonly on the outside hip section. Sometimes, simply walking up or down stairs may aggravate this condition. The pain usually subsides immediately upon rest but re-occurs with activity.

Treatment aims to control the internal rotation of the tibia and furthermore the rotation on the knee & hip joint via an in-built 4 degree rearfoot varus wedge. This will reduce the stretching (tractional) and frictional forces on the Ilio-tibial band muscle. Stretching of the Ilio-tibial band muscle is advised.

Lower Back Pain

Excess pronation causes the lower leg to rotate internally. As a result, the pelvis is forced to tilt forward, causing an increased curvature of the lower back. The curvature in the back will cause tightness and stiffness of the lower back muscles.

Treatment aims to control ‘excess pronation’ to body posture. Improvement alignment of the feet will reduce internal rotation of the legs, forward pelvic tilt and consequently eases low back pain.
 

Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction

This is caused by a strain on the posterior tibial tendon, which runs along the inside of the ankle and the foot. When there is post-tibial tendon dysfunction, the tendon does not function to hold up the arch, resulting in flat feet. This can lead to heel pain, arch pain, plantar fasciitis and/or heel spurs.

Treatment aims to reduce strain on the post tibial tendon and prevent excessive stretching of the plantar fascia.

Tibial Stress Syndrome (Shin Splints)

This condition is characterized by pain in the lower part of the leg between the knee and the ankle. The injuries are caused by repeated trauma to the connective muscle tissue surrounding the tibia.

Shin splints are often experienced by new runners or walkers when pain occurs in the muscles at the front of the shin during exercise. Posterior shin splints (inside shin pain) is a more chronic condition occurring along the inside edge of the shin bone (tibia) and generally occurs with more active sports. Both conditions are related to excess stretching (traction) of muscles and tendons along the shin (tibia and fibula) bones.

Treatment aims to reduce excess stretching (traction) of the front and back leg muscles (the Anterior Tibialis and Posterior Tibialis muscles)

Heel Pain (Plantar Fasciitis)

Plantar fasciitis is probably the most common foot complaint. The heel is the part of the foot that strikes the ground first when you walk. Pain in this area is as a result of two major causes - the presence of a heel spur, or the condition known as plantar fasciitis. Heel pain is usually caused by excess pronation. As the foot pronates, the arch collapses and the muscles (plantar fascia) and supporting structure are forced to stretch and elongate.

Treatment aims to align the foot and control body posture. By supporting the arches and re-aligning the lower limb to its natural angle, orthotics can reduce the traction and strain on the plantar fascia, taking away this common cause of heel pain.

Hallux Rigidus / Hallux Limitus

This common condition is caused by degenerative osteoarthritis and stiffness due to bone spurs that affects the metatarsophalangeal joint at the base of the hallux (big toe). Hallux limitus is simply limited motion of the big toe joint. Hallux rigidus is the “stiff great toe”. It can occur in relatively young patients who are active sports people and have at some time suffered trauma to the joint.

Treatment aims to offload pressure at the big toe joint with a combination of prescription orthotics and footwear. In severe cases, steroid injection therapy may be necessary to reduce inflammation and pain. In chronic cases, surgical intervention may be necessary.