2 Foot Productions

Basic Foot Care for Nurses and Carers across Australia

Foot Deformity What is a foot deformity? What causes foot deformity? What parts of the foot are commonly deformed? What happens if you don’t attend to foot deformities? What can you do to help?

What is a foot deformity?

All sorts of things can go wrong with feet in a life time. We can end up with lumps and bumps all over the place – some more serious than others. For the sake of this presentation, foot deformity includes boney changes such as hammer toes, bunions, amputation and other structural problems.

What causes foot deformity?

There are a few different causes of structural foot deformity.

These include:

• Arthritis – causing joints to deviate
• Trauma – resulting in changes to foot structure
• Problems from birth – such as club foot or cerebral palsy
• Illness – especially illnesses that affect the muscles and the bones such as polio or muscular dystrophy.

What parts of the foot are commonly deformed?

The most common structural foot problems are toe deformities. Clawed and hammer toes and bunions are very common.

What happens if you don’t attend to foot deformity?

Foot deformities are hot spots for trouble.
They attract extra pressure from foot wear.
They can get quite painful.
The skin overlying the deformity can break down and get infected.
They can also cause balance problems.

What can you do to help?

There is not much, short of surgery, that you can do to fix a foot deformity. If the deformity is caused by soft tissue problems, for example a muscle imbalance, there is the chance that exercises and splinting may help. This option needs to be discussed with a podiatrist or physiotherapist.

Example of a bunion splint.

What you are trying to achieve is comfort for the patient and prevention of further complications such as breakdown of skin and infection.

The first thing to think about is always footwear. Peoples’ feet change over time and so their footwear needs to change too. Well fitting, supportive footwear will be the most important consideration. For more information on footwear go to.

An example of a sandal style shoe with a good rubber sole, firm heel counter and adjustable fastenings. Available from Comfort and Fit.

Sometimes an orthotic device (arch support) in the shoe will support the foot further and allow the foot to function more efficiently.

Examples of pre-made arch supports. Available from “The Foot Joint”.

Toe and foot paddings can reduce pressure and friction over the affected areas.

Tubifoam. Available from the foot joint

Tubifoam cut to protect a bunion.

Silicon toe sleeves. Available from the foot joint

A silicon toe sleeve to protect a clawed toe

Mole skin and Mole foam – self adhesive paddings

Your local pharmacy will also have access to lots of great foot care products.