

Your doctor may also ask you if you have been walking or running on more uneven surfaces, like nature trails, or if you have taken up any new physical activity like dancing.Ĭuboid syndrome accounts for 17 percent of all foot and ankle injuries in professional dancers, while only 4 percent of injuries in all other athletes.ĭancing puts a significant amount of stress on the lateral midfoot. Make sure you put together a training regimen if you are just starting out after a long break in physical activity Ligaments that have not been used for a while are more prone to injury if you exert yourself too much right out of the gate. Have you ever heard the term, “Use it or lose it? The first one would be a sudden increase in physical activity. When a podiatrist takes your history, he or she will be looking for certain clues that tips him off to this condition. Therefore, diagnosing cuboid syndrome is done through history and a physical alone. Its close proximity to the ankle often leads physicians to misdiagnose it as an ankle sprain, and imaging techniques like X-ray or MRI are not helpful. It is hard to diagnose for a variety of reasons. It is not uncommon for the pain to radiate to the bottom of the middle of the foot, the anterior ankle joint, or distally along the fourth ray.Ĭuboid syndrome will manifest as pain on the outside of your foot just a few centimeters away from your ankle bone. A common but under-diagnosed athletic injury is cuboid syndrome.Ī patient with cuboid syndrome will complain of lateral foot pain and weakness in the toe-off portion during walking. Increasing your activity whether it be sports or a dance class can lead to a variety of foot and ankle injuries. This can be painful but repeated manipulation once or twice a day alleviates the pain.Does “Dancing with the Stars” or weekend football inspire you to get on your feet and start an exercise routine? Maybe take that dance class you always dreamed of, or join that new Pilates class that everyone is talking about. Sometimes a pop can be heard as the cuboid gets back in place. The success of the pad is achieved when the size of the patient’s foot is considered.ĭirect manipulation is done by using plantar and dorsal motions. The pad is adhesive and is applied directly to the skin. Traditional treatment is administered by placing a square cuboid pad on the foot. If the condition is due to biomechanical or limb length issues, the proper measures to correct and treat are administered. In the first steps of treatment, a podiatrist makes sure the patient is not wearing a shoe or any gear that causes the foot to supinate. If pain persists or gets worse, book an appointment with a podiatrist. The best conservative treatment method involves resting, icing, compressing, elevation, and eliminating activities that put pressure on the foot. Others include climbing stairs, poorly fitting shoes, training on uneven surfaces, and not resting to recover after strenuous activity. Other activities – Such as a lot of sports especially the ones that involve side to side movements like racquetball or tennis. Their calf muscles are tight, and they tug the cuboid bone to dislocated when the foot is pronated. Pronated feet – People with pronated feet usually have the feet turn inward as they walk. It happens when the ankle twists inward, but an outward twist can also cause the condition. Sprained ankle – An inversion sprain of the ankle likely causes the cuboid syndrome. It can result in injuries or dislocation of the cuboid bone. Overuse – Cuboid syndrome running is common among athletes because their feet are intensely active in high-stress situations and work through the pain. Pain when pushing off the toe and lifting the heel.Pain that gets worse with weight-bearing.Sudden pain or pain that develops over time in the lateral side of the foot (the side with the little toe).Visit a podiatrist as soon as the symptoms start for early treatment to avoid cuboid syndrome surgery offered in severe cases. The cuboid bone may be injured suddenly due to overuse.

It makes it hard to diagnose cuboid syndrome because it is easily confused with other conditions such as a stress fracture. The pain is around the middle of the foot and the base of the fifth and fourth toes, and the side where you have the little toe that is the lateral side of the foot. The cuboid bone has seven tarsal bones in the foot and it is part of the midtarsal joint. The cuboid syndrome is also known as peroneal cuboid, locked cuboid, or dropped cuboid occurs when the ligaments and joint surrounding the cuboid bone are injured due to rotation of the cuboid out of position, partial dislocation.
