Freibergs disease of the Foot

There are numerous causes to get discomfort within the ball of the feet. A less frequent reason is a condition called Freiberg’s disease or infarction. This is a disorder where the end of a metatarsal bone that is near the base of the toes in the front foot becomes less strong and has minuscule cracks. This most frequently occurs in the 2nd and 3rd metatarsal bones, though they all could be affected. It is considered to be caused by recurring overload on the metatarsals heads which result in a local lack of blood circulation to the bone. These metatarsal heads then come to be less strong and breaks. Freiberg’s disease mostly occurs in younger athletes above about the age of 12, and more typically impacts young females a lot more than young males. The actual micro fractures appears to result from overloads especially in sports which entail a great deal of sprinting, leaping or pivoting over the front foot. Wearing non supportive or poorly cushioned shoes may possibly contribute to higher pressure upon the metatarsal bones.

The common symptoms consist of increasing pain around the affected metatarsal bone. There's normally a swelling and bruising surrounding the affected area. The pain might intensify with an increase in weightbearing activities. Frequently there will be a reduced flexibility with the impacted toe joint with pain existing on movement of the affected toe. Limping to to relieve the pain in the impacted foot is furthermore prevalent. The diagnosis of Freibergs disease is done by a health care specialist and it is based on a number of features like a full clinical evaluation which can include a structural evaluation and also a walking evaluation. You will have an assessment of the complete pain background and health background analysis to rule out any other reasons for the symptoms. The joint range of motion will be looked at, along with a direct palpation of the joint should be completed. The definitive examination is generally performed by x-ray which typically shows a flattening with the metatarsal head, appearing like a crushed egg shell with the more serious situations.

The treatment of Freibergs disease starts with rest as well as immobilisation of the area for as much as 6 weeks. This really is required in the first part of therapy for to allow the mini fracture in the bone to get better. The immobilisation can often be carried out with a moon boot or cam brace prescribed by a health professional. Foot orthotics could be utilized to decrease the painful symptoms of Freiberg’s disease. The goal of the foot insoles would be to accomplish that through lessening weight bearing in the location as well as with some posture change with the feet. They need to give support for the painful metatarsal head and so are generally used after that first period of immobilization. A steel or even graphite insole can also frequently used to make the footwear stiffer. Because of this there will be reduced flexion or bending with the shoe in the front foot which lowers load on the metatarsal head. Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as motrin could be used for pain relief and also to lessen inflammation. If this does not improve then a surgical fix of the fracture site may be needed to fix the damaged tissues.