Foot Care (Podiatry)

Podiatric foot and ankle injuries and conditions treated at Scripps include:

• Achilles tendonitis — inflammation of the Achilles tendon at the back of the ankle above the heel of the foot.
• Arthritis of the foot and ankle — inflammation of one or more of the multiple joints in the foot and ankle.
• Athlete’s foot — a skin infection of the feet caused by fungus.
• Bunions — the enlargement of the big toe joint and deviation of the great toe.
• Corns and callouses — a painful thickening of the skin related to the use of ill-fitting shoes.
• Flat feet — a foot condition characterized by the foot’s arch being flat due to loose tendons in the foot’s joints.
• Foot fractures — when bones in the feet are broken, including traumatic bone injuries that may require immobilization or reparative surgery, as well as less serious stress fractures.
• Fungal toenails — a condition in which there is discoloration and often thickening of the toenails due to fungal infection.
• Hallux rigidus — a condition where painful arthritis of the big toe’s main joint and can result in joint pain when walking or standing.
• Hammertoes— a contracture of the lesser toes becoming rigid and painful in shoes.
• Ingrown toenails — occur when the edge of a nail grows downward into the skin of the toe.
• Metatarsalgia — a condition characterized by pain in the ball of the foot.
• Morton neuroma — an injury to the nerves between the toes, causing chronic pain.
• Peripheral neuropathy — a form of numbness in the lower extremities that can result in wounds and foot ulcers associated with diabetes and other conditions.
• Plantar fasciitis — an inflammation in the bottom of the foot usually originating at the base of the heel.
• Plantar warts — appear on the bottom of the feet and are most commonly seen in children.
• Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction — a condition that can result in a flat foot due to insufficient support and stability for the foot’s arch.
• Sesamoiditis — an injury to the small bones under the big toe joint that creates pain on the ball of the foot (often seen in dancers).
• Sprains, strains and bruises — can affect the ligaments, tendons and muscles of the foot and ankle.
• Turf toe — a common sprain of the big toe’s main joint in athletes who play a variety of sports on different surfaces, including natural and artificial turf.
• Wounds and ulcerations — appear on the feet as a result of complications of neuropathy (nerve damage) often associated with diabetes.

Podiatric foot, ankle and lower leg treatments at Scripps include:

• Nonsurgical treatments, which can include physical rehabilitation, anti-inflammatory therapies and use of custom-made insoles, orthotics or shoes.
• Foot and ankle conditioning programs, which are designed to strengthen muscles, stabilize joints and prevent future injury.
• Outpatient and inpatient foot surgery and procedures, which can include reparative or reconstructive surgeries to correct many foot deformities.
• Hammertoe repair, a procedure in which the toe is straightened and stabilized by permanently fusing the two bones together.
• Bunion surgery, which is a corrective surgery that involves cutting the bones and repositioning them with metal screws to straighten the big toe and reduce the bump on the side of the foot. 

Scripps offers several sports and physical therapy options in San Diego with facilities in North County, South Bay, Central San Diego and La Jolla. Sports and physical therapy services are provided at more than half a dozen locations by a team of experts using the latest techniques and technologies to help patients regain strength and mobility to get back in the game.