Don't ignore your alignment!

I am pretty sure by now, y'all know equinus has at least something to do with non-traumatic foot and ankle pathology. In fact, it has just about everything to do with your hurting foot. Below is a list of what equinus causes and then makes worse if not addressed. Unfortunately, it goes unaddressed about 97% of the time, and that makes me angry.

Sure, about now you are saying that you don't have equinus because you are not aware that your calf is tight. That's the big disconnect: equinus is subtle, and no one is aware they have it, even when it causes problems like those listed below. The damage is slow and incremental, and one day, poof, you have pain and loss of quality of life.

Not convinced yet that something invisible, undetectable, can cause something bad? The best analogy I can provide is one I told many a patient. If the front-end alignment of your car gets slightly out of whack, it will be unnoticeable as you drive- you won't know it. Mile after mile, the tires are being worn down prematurely. Then one day, poof, you notice that your nearly new front left tire is much more worn than the other three. If you are not aware of the root cause (the front end is out of alignment), then you will replace the tire and go about your merry way. Oops. However, if you know the wear is caused by a misaligned front end, you will replace the tire, fix the alignment, and address the underlying cause.

Sometimes it is a huge advantage to just know why something is occurring and bypass all the cogitation, testing, and whatever else nonsense goes on, trying to solve the problem.

Here is the takeaway. Don't ignore your alignment!

Equinus Causes

• General start up pain and stiffness

• Foot pain especially associated with start up pain or stiffness

• Plantar fasciitis

• Sever's disease

• Shin splints

• Posterior Tibialis Tendon Rupture(PTTR)-Acquired flatfoot deformity

• Second MTP synovitis/plantar plate rupture which leads to hammer toe

• Morton's neuroma

• Insertional Achilles tendinosis/Haglund’s deformity

• Achilles tendinitis

• Recurrent musculotendinous Achilles ruptures

• Calf cramps at night/Charley horse

• Midfoot osteoarthritis

• Ankle arthritis/Anterior ankle spurs (prevention)

• Navicular stress fracture

• Calcaneal stress fracture

• Jones/Fifth MT stress fx

• Diabetic Charcot arthropathy

• Diabetic malperforans ulcer formation

• Restless leg syndrome

Prevention only (3)

• Metatarsal stress fractures (prevention)

• Achilles tendon ruptures (prevention)

• Hammer toe formation secondary to MTP synovitis (prevention)

In time, I will explain in my newsletter how each of these wildly varied problems can be traced to the same root cause: equinus.

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