Foot & Ankle

The foot and ankle support mobility and balance, comprising a complex structure of bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Injuries or conditions, such as sprains or arthritis, can impair function and require proper diagnosis and treatment.

Aug 25, 2013

How do toe cramps connect to back pain? Most patients with toe cramps believe that they have some sort of nutritional problem, despite many of them actually having a low back issue. In these cases, small amounts of nerve irritation in the low back can cause the muscles in the toe to cramp. This is where…read more

How Your Back May Be Causing Your Bunions and a Bunion Surgery Alternative

by Chris Centeno, MD

Feb 11, 2013

Bunion surgery is big business. Is there a bunion surgery alternative? To see if that’s possible, we first have to understand why bunions occur in the first place. In my clinical experience, a big cause is a back problem that causes the stabilizing muscles of the foot to weaken. How does that work? The nerves in your…read more

How Important is it for Athletes to Fix Lax Ankle Ligaments after a Sprain?

by Chris Centeno, MD

Jul 15, 2012

Loose ankles? We’re often told that after an ankle sprain, we should just let it heal. Even after they heal, is the laxity caused by these stretched out ligaments causing more problems? What effects do loose ankles have in athletes? A recent study sought to answer this question by looking at 86 volunteers at a military academy…read more

Claw Toes and your Low Back

by Chris Centeno, MD

Jun 15, 2012

Is there a relationship between claw toes and your low back? I often see patients with the dreaded “claw toes”. They’re usually middle aged or older and like the picture above, their 2nd through fifth toes have begun to look like a claw. Why? These toes look exactly like what we call an “intrinsic minus hand” that…read more