Ankle exotosis (ex-oh-TOE-sis) is something you're most likely to read about in the sports pages,. It results from engaging in a sport that requires pushing off from a position with the foot extended forward.

Flat feet, or fallen arches, aren't a problem unless they actually become painful. Babies are born with flat feet. Arches don't develop until walking begins and feet are not be fully formed until the age of 15 or so.

Paralysis, nerve damage, or injury to the muscles on the side of the shinbone can produce a condition known as 'foot drop.' Without the support of these muscles, the foot becomes limp, the toes may drag, and normal walking becomes impossible.

The condition known as mallet toe is characterized by a toe, generally the one next to the big toe, dropping down below the level of the others. This causes friction against the shoe and a painful callus may form on the tip of the toe.

Before you get all gung ho over starting a new running program, you should think about shin splints. Among athletes, the term is used as a catch-all phrase to describe any pain in the lower leg.

To the layperson, any ankle injury is likely to be called a sprain. It occurs when the ankle is twisted suddenly inward, tearing the ligaments on the outside of the ankle.

How did a simple fungus infection get a name like athlete's foot? The best guess is that the name comes from the fact that locker rooms are ideal places for bacteria and fungi to breed.

Your feet, like any other part of your body, are subject to burns when exposed to hot objects or acid. Some over-the-counter corn and callus removers contain an acid which can burn the skin if misapplied.

The effects of aging strike every part of the body, and the feet are no exception. In the course of a lifetime, the average person will walk the equivalent of four times around the world.

Every part of the body needs a steady flow of blood to function, and your feet are no exception. As you get older, your circulatory system becomes less efficient.

An inherited muscle imbalance or arthritis can cause toes to contract and buckle, forming hammertoes. When this happens, toe joints enlarge and stiffen and become deformed over a period of time.

Diabetics and those with circulatory disorders, particularly peripheral (per-if-er-all) vascular disease, need to take special care of their feet. Diabetes or high blood sugar makes it difficult for your body to change food into energy.

Diabetes is a disorder caused by the body's inability to transport sugar from the blood to the cells. Unless treated, this can cause blood vessels to harden and decrease blood flow to the arteries.

Dry, cracked heels are the sign of a condition known as xerosis (zee-ROE-sis). By itself, it's mostly a nuisance or cosmetic problem. Various moisturizing lotions may be sufficient to clear it up.

If you work with your hands, you know what calluses are: hard pads that form where there is frequent contact. They are the body's reaction to friction.

A fracture is a broken bone, and since your feet contain about one fourth of all the bones in your body, they're a prime candidate for fractures. With more and more Americans leading active lifestyles, stress fractures are increasingly common.

If you've ever visited a mushroom farm, you'll know that mushrooms, like any fungus, prefer dark, moist conditions. The inside of your shoe is paradise for a fungus.

To a five-year-old, smelly feet seem to be hilarious. To a podiatrist, they are a symptom of an underlying problem. There's even a medical term for foot odor: bromhidrosis (broam-hy-DRO-sis).

Most people think of ulcers as a stomach problem. Actually, an ulcer is a general term for any open sore, whether it's inside your stomach or not. On the feet, ulcers generally develop on the bottom of your foot.

Warts are caused by a virus that gets under your skin. Even a tiny cut is sufficient to allow the virus to get inside and cause problems. They are painful and generally appear on the bottom of the feet.

Frostbite is a condition in which the skin and underlying tissues freeze. Since the feet are farthest from the heart, it takes blood a long time to get to them, making them prime targets for frostbite.

Gout tends to be hereditary and affects males more than females, so if you're male and there's a history of gout in your family, you can expect to experience this painful condition at some time in your life.

If the ligament in the arch of your foot is strained or torn, a bony outgrowth may develop as a spur at the base of your heel. After sitting down for awhile, you might feel pain when you stand up or walk.

Under normal circumstances, your toenails grow straight out. When a toenail is ingrown, the nail expands outward, cutting into the flesh. This is usually a very painful condition and is usually associated with infection of the toe.

Nails protect the tips of the toes from abnormal pressure or rubbing. A nail consists of the part you see and a growth plate which is beneath the surface.

The most common nerve problem of the foot is called a neuroma (nure-rome-ah), a nerve tumor commonly seen between the spaces of the second and third toes.

Osteoarthritis (aw-stee-oh-ar-THRY-tis) is the most common form of arthritis, affecting about 90 percent of people over 60. The exact cause of the condition is unknown, but it frequently crops up following a fracture.

A newborn's feet ordinarily tend to toe out slightly. Out-toeing and in-toeing are common conditions in which an infant's foot is turned outward or inward at birth.

You can't really prevent your feet from sweating. Each foot normally sweats about half a pint every day. What you can do is to keep sweaty feet from becoming a problem.

Rheumatoid (ROO-muh-toid) arthritis is the second most common form of arthritis, affecting some two and a half million Americans. It can start at any age and affects women three times as often as men.

When your shoes rub against your toes, corns may develop. Normally, these are small, hard areas consisting of dead skin cells on the tip or joint of the toe.

If you read the sports pages, you've probably heard a lot about dislocated toes. But even without suffering a football injury, anyone can suffer a dislocated toe.

Working with your hands can cause blisters. They're easy to recognize: little fluid-filled bubbles on the skin. If they burst, they can become extremely painful and are easily infected.

A claw toe is a foot deformity in which one toe rises above the level of the others, giving it the appearance of a claw. Wearing shoes that are too narrow or too tight is a frequent cause of this condition.

A hammer toe is one that's bent in the middle. When the top of this toe rubs against the shoe, a corn may develop on the top. The condition often occurs gradually, and the patient doesn't notice it until it begins to hurt.

A spur is a piece of bone which has been gradually pulled off the bottom of the heel. This occurs when the arch is put under great stress. Even non-athletes can be subject to heel spurs, particularly if they're overweight.

A bunion (bun-nyun) is an unsightly bump of bone on the side of the big toe joint. Bunions can be caused by the bones in your foot changing in alignment or shape as they age, causing pain, swelling, and stiffness.

About one in a thousand babies is born with a condition known as a clubfoot. It involves a foot in which the sole is bent inward and the heel upward. Fortunately, an infant's bones are soft, and the condition can be corrected.

In 'Romeo and Juliet,' Capulet talks to ladies who refuse to dance: 'She that makes dainty, she, I'll swear hath corns.' Corns and calluses are essentially the same things: hardened layers of skin caused by the foot rubbing against the shoe.

According to legend, Achilles was the Greek hero who was invulnerable to weapons everywhere except his heel. He was eventually killed by an arrow in his only vulnerable spot.

Your tendons are surrounded by a number of balloon-like sacs which cushion a tendon as it moves over a joint. When you irritate these areas by overexertion or other means, they fill with fluid and become painfully inflamed.

There are three possible conditions that can result from exposing the feet to extreme cold for an extended period: chilblains results from exposure to dry cold.

During the First World War, soldiers spent days, and frequently weeks, in cold, wet trenches. Subjecting your feet to such conditions can bring on the condition known as trench foot.

Your arches are the natural curve of the foot that enable your foot to flex normally when you walk. If they're not high enough, you're said to have flat feet.