With Fall finally, here, different sports will become popular especially for our children. Many of the school related sports include football, Lacrosse, tennis, basketball and Field Hockey among others. All involve very intense competition and the use of our feet.

With this comes the possibility of foot related injuries including:

• Stress fractures – caused by undue pressure on the foot
• Sprains – caused by twists or unexpected force
• Neuromas – swelling of a nerve
• Heel spurs – a painful build-up of a calcium deposit in the heel
• Plantar Fasciitis – irritation of the area that connects your toes to other bones in the feet
• Achilles tendonitis – irritation of the Achilles tendon
• Athletes foot – not an injury, but is a common ailment for many athletes
• Peritoneal tendonitis – an inflammation of ankle tendons behind your fibula

 

Whether it’s one or more of the above sports related injuries or ailments, it is important to get them treated as soon as possible. Recognition of a problem is key, and pain is a sure sign of a problem. If you are competing, even if you’ve just practiced and not played in a game, if you have pain it needs to be looked at. While some level of pain is often a part of rigorous athletic competition, undue and repetitive pain is not good. Seeing your podiatrist is important and may get you back to playing sooner than you expect.

Treatments for the above sports injuries can include:

• Stress fractures – R.I.C.E. – rest, ice, compression and elevation, pain medicine, some type of stabilizing brace, shoe, or cast
• Sprain – R.I.C.E. – rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Rest is usually very important
• Neuromas – seeing a podiatrist is very important, orthotics, destruction of the nerve or surgery
• Heel spur – muscle stretching, orthotics, and surgery Plantar fasciitis – calve muscle stretching, night splints, orthotics and surgery
• Achilles tendonitis – low heeled shoes, orthotics, below the knee cast, RICE and, if the tendon is torn – surgery
• Athletes foot- anti-fungal powder or anti-bacterial oral medicine, wearing sandals or flip flops in public showers, locker rooms or pools
• Peritoneal tendonitis – RICE, anti-inflammatory medicines and a possible cast until healed

If you believe you have an injury or have any other concerns about the health of your feet, make an appointment with us at monpod.com or Foot and Ankle Specialists PC. Dr. Scott E. Hughes, Dr. Greg P. Vogt, and Dr. Christine I. Tumele will assess your feet and recommend the best treatments for your feet. We are located in Lambertville and Monroe, MI.