There is a group of causes that cause the appearance of multiple fibroids (lumps) in different parts of the body. One of them is plantar fibromatosis, also known as Ledderhose disease.
As explained Jorge Escoto, podiatrist and member of the board of directors of , “although it is not a well-known disease at a social level, it is not considered a rare pathology in podiatry consultations.”
Among the characteristics of plantar fibromatosis, it should be noted that it is a benign disease. Furthermore, curiously it is more prevalent among men than among women. So much so, that some specialists point out that it is 10 times more common among men.
Along with this, the Valencian podiatrists highlight that in 50% of the cases of Ledderhose Disease it appears in both feet.
Symptoms of Ledderhose disease
Its symptoms are mainly “the appearance of tumors with benign characteristics on the sole of the foot. Its growth is slow and these lumps become more evident when the big toe is stretched upwards”, adds the ICOPCV podiatrist.
At first, when these lumps appear, they do not cause major problems because they do not hurt. But when they get bigger, they can cause problems when walking.
Why do these tumors appear?
“The causes that originate it are still unknown, but we do know that there are risk factors that predispose to suffering from it and they are, as Jorge Escoto explains:
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prolonged immobilization
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microtrauma
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The
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Alcohol or nicotine abuse
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liver failure
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The disorders ”.
This condition is also associated with other fibrosing pathologies such as:
– Dupuytren’s contracture, an injury that causes one or more fingers of the hand to not be able to stretch correctly.
– Inflammation of the pads of the knuckles.
– In men, Peyronie’s disease, a condition that causes an abnormal curvature of the penis.
In fact, specialists recommend that before a diagnosis of Ledderhose disease, consult about the possibility of suffering from any of the other pathologies.
How is it diagnosed? Do you have treatment?
Once the patient detects the lumps on the soles of the feet, a podiatrist should be seen to determine if it is plantar fibromatosis.
In principle, specialists usually consider it sufficient to perform a physical examination to reach a diagnosis.
But sometimes it may also be necessary to perform an ultrasound or an MRI to confirm and determine the degree of development of benign tumors.
Once Ledderhose disease has been diagnosed, the treatment will depend on the degree of the disease and whether it is causing discomfort or not.
Thus, in the mildest cases, podiatrists recommend, depending on the characteristics of each case:
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Treatment with stretches focused on the feet.
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The making of custom-made plantar orthoses (custom insoles that will favor the distribution of pressure outside the bulge).
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In some cases it may be necessary to carry out infiltrations with corticosteroids or proteolytic enzymes, or the application of shock waves to soften the plantar fibromas.
In the most serious cases, in which the patient’s mobility has been severely limited and the most conservative treatments have not worked, it may be necessary to undergo surgery to remove these tumors. Although as the Valencian podiatrists warn, the risk of these operations is that the lumps tend to reappear after surgery.