Sport Related Foot & Ankle Injuries

There is no question that athletes’ feet and ankles are prime candidates for injuries from the repeated pounding that runners receive on paved surfaces to the side-to-side motion seen in court sports. Whether you participate in sports regularly or are just a “weekend warrior,” be on the lookout for some of these common problems.

Ankle sprains are one of the most common sports injuries. Prompt evaluation and treatment by one of our foot and ankle Doctors is important to ensure prompt, proper healing and the prevention of chronic instability. Sometimes what is thought to be a “sprain” is actually an ankle fracture with differing treatments and healing times. Physical Therapy provides an important treatment component to healing. An ankle that has not been properly healed and strengthened is more likely to suffer repeated sprains, leading to chronic ankle instability.

Athletes are at high risk for developing disorders of the Achilles tendon. Achilles tendonitis, a painful inflammation of the tendon that runs down the back of the lower leg, can progress into a difficult to treat degeneration of the tendon (Achilles tendinosis) occurring with long term injury. Heel pain is most often caused by plantar fasciitis, although it may also be due to other causes including stress fractures. Faulty foot structure is the most common cause of plantar fasciitis, but it can also result from wearing shoes that are worn out or not designed for the sport in which you’re participating. Flexibility of the lower extremity will help get rid of this pain, but continued pain should be checked out to rule out a fracture or other cause. Morton’s neuroma, also called “intermetatarsal neuroma,” this is a thickening of nerve tissue in the ball of the foot resulting from compression and irritation of the nerve. Causes include activities that involve repetitive irritation to the ball of the foot, such as running or court sports. Symptoms start gradually and may come and go when the nerve is irritated due to activity.

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