Foot Deformity: Haglund’s Deformity

Foot deformity encompasses a wide range of problems. Here we are only going to look at few of those. First, we need to know that the foot is like any other limb or part of the body, packed with nerves, muscles, bones, ligaments and tendons, and blood vessels. Your feet must carry your weight plus anything you are carrying so we need to take any foot problems and deformities seriously.  Haglund’s deformity is a common deformation of the foot. This is caused by pressure placed on the back of the heel by shoes. The main sign of Haglund’s deformity is pain in the heel and a bump or knot forming just above the heel where it meets the Achilles tendon. An x-ray is not needed for the diagnosis, as it will be apparent to the eye, although an x-ray will provide information needed by the surgeon.

It will show how large the bump or calcaneus really is.  There are two ways to treat Haglund’s deformity, the first being wearing shoes that don’t put pressure on the back of the heel, i.e. shoes with no backs or simply going barefoot. By doing this you reduce the pressure which in turns reduces the swelling. Another option is surgery. With surgery the bump is removed with a small cut on the back of the heel. A portion of bone is removed to insure that the pressure does not occur again resulting in the same diagnosis.

Claw toes and hammer toes are other common deformities caused by wearing shoes. In these cases it is because of shoes not being the correct size and fit. With both conditions, pressure builds up in the toes and joints and causes pain when walking. Again, you have several options for treatment of both claw toes and hammer toes. If diagnosed early enough, purchasing a new pair of shoes that are the correct fit may correct the problems. If the condition is more advanced, surgery will be suggested. During surgery a small section of the joint of the toe is removed to relieve pressure on the tendons that keep the joint tightened.

Bunions, not something you think of when talking about deformities, but that is exactly what they are. This is caused by an abnormal knot or bump on the side of the foot continuously rubbing on the inside of a shoe. To prevent bunions from forming all you need to do is buy wider shoes that don’t cause friction with the side of the foot. Surgery may be advised, which involves simply removing the bunion from the foot.