© 2025 All rights reserved. Professional Brooklyn and Queens Podiatrist. Best Foot Doctor, NY.
85 plain-English definitions of the foot and ankle terms you are most likely to hear in a podiatry appointment.
Movement that draws a limb or toe away from the body’s midline.
Read more >Painful inflammation of the Achilles tendon at the back of the heel.
Read more >Keyhole surgery used to diagnose and treat problems inside the ankle joint.
Read more >Damage to the ankle, from mild sprains to ligament tears and fractures.
Read more >A stretched or torn ankle ligament, usually caused by rolling the joint.
Read more >Inflammation of a growth plate where a tendon attaches to bone.
Read more >A contagious fungal skin infection, most often between the toes.
Read more >A fluid-filled pocket of skin caused by friction, heat or pressure.
Read more >A bony projection, or osteophyte, that forms along the edge of a bone.
Read more >Bone damage from repeated high-impact loading, before a full fracture forms.
Read more >A deformity of the big toe joint that pushes the toe inward.
Read more >Surgery that repositions the big toe to correct a painful bunion.
Read more >Surgery that cuts and realigns the heel bone to correct foot alignment.
Read more >Thickened, hardened skin formed in response to repeated friction or pressure.
Read more >Professional paring of hardened skin to relieve pressure and pain.
Read more >Persistent foot pain with structural, nerve, joint or infectious causes.
Read more >A nerve squeezed by surrounding tissue, causing pain, tingling or weakness.
Read more >Paring or treating away a corn to relieve pressure and pain.
Read more >A small, painful patch of thickened skin caused by friction or pressure.
Read more >Preventive foot treatment for people with diabetes, to avoid complications.
Read more >Nerve damage caused by diabetes, usually felt first in the feet.
Read more >Bending the foot upward at the ankle, lifting the toes toward the shin.
Read more >Turning the sole of the foot outward, away from the body’s midline.
Read more >An abnormal bony growth on the outer surface of a normal bone.
Read more >Tough, elastic fibrous tissue running through the foot and lower leg.
Read more >Deep cracks in the skin of the heel, foot or between the toes.
Read more >Treatment, surgical or otherwise, that restores the arch of a flat foot.
Read more >A flattened arch that lets the sole meet the ground when standing.
Read more >A scan giving detailed images of the bones and soft tissue of the foot.
Read more >Surgical treatment of conditions of the foot, ankle and lower leg.
Read more >The structural shape of a foot, which shapes gait and injury risk.
Read more >An image of the bones of the foot, used to diagnose injury or deformity.
Read more >A break in a bone, from a hairline crack to a complete separation.
Read more >A fungal infection of the nail causing thickening and discolouration.
Read more >The pattern of movement the limbs make when walking or running.
Read more >A benign, fluid-filled lump that forms near a joint or tendon.
Read more >A painful arthritis caused by uric acid crystals collecting in a joint.
Read more >A bony enlargement at the back of the heel, often called a pump bump.
Read more >The big toe — the first digit of the human foot.
Read more >Reduced movement in the big toe joint from wear of the joint surface.
Read more >A stiff big toe joint with severely limited movement.
Read more >The medical name for a bunion, where the big toe deviates inward.
Read more >A toe bent permanently downward at its middle joint.
Read more >Surgery that straightens a bent toe and restores its function.
Read more >The calcaneus — the large bone that forms the heel.
Read more >Discomfort under or behind the heel, from mild ache to disabling pain.
Read more >A bony protrusion at the base of the heel, often linked to plantar fasciitis.
Read more >Invasion of body tissue by bacteria, fungi or viruses that then multiply.
Read more >A toenail whose edge grows into the surrounding skin.
Read more >Inserts placed inside a shoe to add cushioning or support.
Read more >A bunion procedure correcting the toe in three planes and stabilising the joint.
Read more >A difference in length between the two legs.
Read more >A toe bent downward at the joint nearest the nail.
Read more >Surgery to straighten a toe bent at its end joint.
Read more >One of the five long bones between the midfoot and the toes.
Read more >Treatment for pain, stiffness and inflammation under the ball of the foot.
Read more >A common infant foot shape in which the forefoot turns inward.
Read more >Foot surgery through very small incisions, to reduce trauma and recovery time.
Read more >Routine trimming and hygiene that keeps nails healthy and prevents infection.
Read more >Inflammation of a peripheral nerve, causing pain, weakness or numbness.
Read more >A thickening of nerve tissue, most often between the toes.
Read more >The medical name for a fungal infection of the nails.
Read more >Medical devices worn in the shoe to correct or support foot mechanics.
Read more >Surgery to realign a toe that sits over or under its neighbour.
Read more >An infection of the skin around a fingernail or toenail.
Read more >Damage to nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, often felt in the feet.
Read more >An unusually high arch that concentrates pressure on the heel and ball.
Read more >Inflammation of the band of tissue along the sole, causing heel pain.
Read more >A benign fibrous nodule in the arch of the foot.
Read more >Pointing the foot downward at the ankle, away from the shin.
Read more >A wart on the sole of the foot, caused by human papillomavirus.
Read more >Radio-frequency energy used to interrupt a nerve transmitting chronic pain.
Read more >Heel pain in growing children, from irritation of the heel growth plate.
Read more >Pain along the shin bone from overuse, also called medial tibial stress syndrome.
Read more >Selecting and adjusting footwear to match the shape and needs of the foot.
Read more >Surgical restoration of damaged tendon, ligament or other soft tissue.
Read more >A hairline break caused by repeated impact rather than a single injury.
Read more >A bony growth beneath the nail of a toe or finger.
Read more >A bump at the little toe joint on the outer foot, also called a bunionette.
Read more >Compression of the posterior tibial nerve inside the ankle.
Read more >A strong cord of collagen that anchors muscle to bone.
Read more >Inflammation or irritation of a tendon.
Read more >A fungal nail infection causing discolouration, thickening and crumbling.
Read more >A wart, usually on the sole of the foot, caused by human papillomavirus.
Read more >