Foot & Ankle

Each adult foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles, and many tendons that hold everything together. Add to that a complicated system of fascia, nerves, and blood vessels, and it doesn’t take an expert to realize you may need an expert when things go wrong.

Common Foot & Ankle Conditions?

The OPA Foot & Ankle Clinic offers complete care of orthopedic conditions below the knee for adult and pediatric patients, including.

  • Foot, Ankle & Achilles Injuries: Sports, work, home and overuse foot and ankle injuries including fractures, sprains and strains.
  • Foot Deformities: Bunions, hammer toe, clubfoot, etc.
  • Painful Chronic Foot & Ankle Conditions: Tendonitis, arthritis, pinched nerves, heel spurs, bursitis, diabetic foot, etc.

Common Treatment Options

There are several surgical and non-surgical treatment options to help patients recover from injury or increase mobility and quality of life. These may
include one or more of the following:

Physical Therapy
Home Exercise
Medication
Traction
Lifestyle Modification
Ankle Pain

The ankle is a large joint made up of three bones. The tibia, fibula, and talus join to form the ankle joint. It consists of a network of ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Strong enough to bear your body weight and enable you to move, your ankle can be prone to injury and pain.

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Ankle Sprain

Ankle sprains are common injuries. The tibia, fibula, and talus join to form the ankle joint. The bones are connected by ligaments. An ankle sprain occurs when the strong ligaments that support the ankle stretch beyond their limits and tear. Ankle sprains range from mild to severe, depending upon how much damage there is to the ligaments.

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Ankle Fracture

The tibia, fibula, and talus join to form the ankle joint. Ligaments connect the bones. Ankle fractures are common injuries. A fractured ankle can range from a simple break in one bone, which may not stop you from walking to several fractures that force your ankle out of place and require you not to put weight on it for a few months.

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Achilles Tendon Tear

The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscles to heal bone to help the foot move. An Achilles tendon tear is an injury where the tendon partially or completely tears and may occur in the middle of the tendon or at the tendons insertion point on the heel.

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Plantar Fasciitis

The plantar fascia is a strong band of tissue that connects the heel to the front of the foot. The plantar fascia is important because it supports the foot’s arch. Plantar fasciitis is a very common condition. Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of lower foot pain.
Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the plantar fascia. By nature, the plantar fascia evenly distributes stress on the foot. Too much stress can cause minor tears and inflammation.

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Achilles Tendonitis

Achilles tendinitis is a common condition that occurs when the large tendon that runs down the back of your lower leg becomes irritated and inflamed.
The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body. It connects your calf muscles to your heel bone and is used when you walk, run, climb stairs, jump, and stand on your tiptoes. Although the Achilles tendon can withstand great stresses from running and jumping, it is also prone to tendonitis, a condition associated with overuse and degeneration.

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Foot Sprain

A foot sprain is a tear of ligaments, the tough bands of fibrous tissue that connect bones to one another inside a joint. Sprains range in severity from Grade I to Grade III.

  • Grade I — The injury is fairly mild, causing microscopic tears or stretching of the ligaments.
  • Grade II (moderate) — The ligaments may be partially torn, and the stretching is more severe.
  • Grade III (severe) — The ligaments are completely torn, so the foot may be unstable and no longer able to bear weight.

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OPA Foot & Ankle Team

The OPA team includes Alaska’s leading foot & ankle specialists and offers some of the latest, most advanced foot & ankle treatment procedures available today.

OPA treats a wide variety of foot & ankle conditions and offers comprehensive treatment options — including many non-surgical solutions, minimally invasive, and total joint replacements.

All treatments work to restore pain-free foot & ankle function that allows patients to lead active, fulfilling lives, be it walking pain-free or getting back into athletic action.

Our Foot & Ankle Providers

More Foot & Ankle Conditions

Foot Fracture

The human foot has 26 bones. There are two bones in the hindfoot: The talus, which is where the foot attaches to the leg, and the calcaneus, which forms the heel. Five smaller foot bones called the navicular, cuboid, and three cuneiform bones make up the midfoot. The long part of the foot is called the forefoot and contains 19 bones.

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Ankle Osteoarthritis

Ankle Osteoarthritis (OA) is a clinical condition in which the joint that connects the foot to the leg, known as the tibiotalar or ankle joint, has damaged or worn-out cartilage. There are three bones involved in this joint: the tibia, the fibula, and the talus. Arthritis can involve any or all of these bones.

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Bunions

The big toe is made up of two joints. The largest of the two is the metatarsophalangeal joint (MTP), where the first long bone of the foot (metatarsal) meets the first bone of the toe (phalanx). Bunions develop at the MTP joint.

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Hammertoe

A hammertoe is a deformity of the second, third or fourth toes. In this condition, the toe is bent at the middle joint, so that it resembles a hammer. Initially, hammertoes are flexible and can be corrected with simple measures but, if left untreated, they can become fixed and require surgery.

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Lisfranc Injury

The midfoot is very important because it stabilizes the arch and evenly distributes calf muscle forces across the foot. The midfoot is made up of several bones and ligaments known as the Lisfranc complex or the Lisfranc joint. A Lisfranc injury is an injury to the Lisfranc joint. Injuries include bone fractures and/or ligament tears.

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Hallux Rigidus

The most common site of arthritis in the foot is at the base of the big toe. This joint is called the metatarsophalangeal, or MTP joint. It’s important because it has to bend every time you take a step. In the MTP joint, as in any joint, the ends of the bones are covered by smooth articular cartilage. If wear-and-tear or injury damage the articular cartilage, the raw bone ends can rub together. A bone spur, or overgrowth, may develop on the top of the bone. This overgrowth can prevent the toe from bending as much as it needs to when you walk. The result is a stiff big toe or hallux rigidus.

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Questions?

The OPA team includes Alaska’s leading specialists and offers some of the latest, most advanced treatment procedures available today.

OPA treats a wide variety of conditions and offers comprehensive treatment options — including many non-surgical solutions, minimally invasive arthroscopies (repairs), and total joint replacement.

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