3 Common Foot Injuries, And The Sport Injury Treatments That Might Be Needed
Sports injuries to the feet are fairly common, especially if you try to run or jump too much before you've built up your tolerance to exercise. Foot injuries are often inconvenient since it's difficult to walk around and continue training when your foot or feet hurt. Here's a look at some common sports-related injuries to the feet and how they might be treated.
1. Stress Fractures
Stress fractures aren't completely broken bones. Instead, they're small cracks in a bone of your foot. This can lead to a lot of foot pain, and the problem might get worse if you don't rest your foot and allow it to heal. Your podiatrist might also recommend wearing a boot or cast to hold your foot stable as it heals.
You might need to use crutches or a knee walker so you can rest your foot as much as possible. Rest is a common sports injury treatment since repeated strain on an injury can make the injury worse or prolong the time it takes to heal.
2. Ankle Sprain
An ankle sprain is a common sports injury that happens when you twist your foot as you land. A sprain can be minor and heal on its own in several days with rest. A more serious sprain requires medical care. A common sports injury treatment that's used for sprained ankles is ice. Applying ice to your ankle on and off during the day helps control swelling, and that can help reduce pain.
Your podiatrist might also want to put a splint on your foot to immobilize your ankle. Your ankle may take time to heal and require physical therapy treatments once the swelling has gone down. Your podiatrist may encourage you to take it easy on your ankle and return to sports activities gradually as your ankle gets stronger with physical therapy.
3. Tendonitis
Tendonitis can affect your Achilles tendon due to overuse, such as when you start running for long periods without proper conditioning. Tendonitis causes swelling near your ankle, pain, and stiffness. Your podiatrist will probably encourage you to rest your foot to allow the tendon to heal.
They might recommend calf stretches and strengthening exercises and other physical therapy treatments. Your podiatrist may even give you injections of corticosteroids to treat your Achilles tendonitis.
Sports injuries can affect your ankles and feet in a number of ways. If you feel pain when you start running or participating in other sports, find out what is causing the pain so it can be treated. Although you may think you can push through the pain, you may end up causing chronic problems or making the situation worse.
For more, reach out to a sports injury treatment center.
