Foot Pain and Injury

We will do our best to manage your foot issues safely and effectively without surgery. Before surgery is considered, our team of specialists may recommend nonsurgical treatments. These include medications, orthotics, bracing, injections, and physical therapy. In some cases, surgery may be needed.

Diabetes can lead to numerous problems with your feet. These may include numbness and tingling, arch collapse (flatfoot), foot wounds, and more. Our foot and ankle specialists are experienced at diagnosing these issues and providing you with the proper care.

Foot injuries include sprains, tendon injuries, fractures, or dislocations. Whether it’s a new injury that needs to be evaluated or an old injury that is not healing properly, we use on-site imaging to diagnose your injury and create a treatment plan. We may recommend a range of treatments from bracing, splinting, or casting to surgery.

Surgery may be needed to remove part or all of a bone or replace or fuse joints to provide pain relief. For example, arthritis in the joint of the big toe can be treated with surgery that shaves off underlying bone spurs. We also offer artificial cartilage implants than can provide pain relief while preserving range of motion.

Bunions and bunionettes (bumps on the outer edge of the small toe) can be painful and may lead to difficulty with shoe wear. No two bunions are alike, and our providers are skilled at various surgical techniques to remove them, restore proper alignment of your foot, and relieve your pain. Duke is also one of the few hospitals in the region offering minimally invasive bunion surgery.

Claw toes and hammer toes are deformities of the smaller toes, in which the toes appear crooked or stiff. They can be painful, affect shoe wear, and cause calluses and other skin issues. Surgery may be needed to realign the toes and relieve pain.

Surgery may be recommended to prevent your fallen arches from worsening and to relieve pain. The procedure may include bone realignment, ligament or tendon release, tendon transfers, or foot fusions.

When the nerves in the forefoot are compressed or injured, you may experience pain that feels like stepping on a pebble. If nonsurgical treatment does not relieve pain, surgery may be recommended to remove the injured nerve.