Sports Medicine
From professional athletes to weekend warriors, and from sporty kids to daily power walkers, foot and ankle injuries are quite common. That’s because your feet and ankles have to bend, twist, turn, kick, land, pivot, and spring to keep up with sometimes unpredictable movement patterns, all while supporting your body weight. Even if movement patterns are predictable (a daily power walk around the neighborhood, for example), ankle and foot overuse injuries are still widespread. If you’ve experienced a sports-related foot or ankle injury, contact us here at DFW Foot and Ankle today so our Flower Mound, TX podiatrist can help you get back to your favorite activities without pain.
Common Sports Injuries of the Foot and Ankle
The foot and ankle contain 26 joints connecting 33 bones, and more than a hundred ligaments, tendons, and muscles, all of which can suffer a sports injury. Some of the most common foot and ankle sports injuries include:
1. Sprains and strains
When a ligament gets overstretched or torn, it’s sprained. Pain, swelling, and bruising often accompany an ankle or foot sprain, making it stiff and hard to walk. A strain often occurs because of repetitive stress on muscles and tendons. Strains can also cause pain, swelling, muscle weakness, and muscle spasms. Your podiatrist in Flower Mound can diagnose and treat sprains and strains.
2. Tendonitis
This inflammation of tendons can also cause severe pain and swelling that keeps you out of your game. Achilles tendonitis (afflicting the tendon along the back of the ankle) is notoriously painful.
3. Plantar Fasciitis
Active folks who start experiencing pain on the base of the heel that flares up first thing in the morning may have plantar fasciitis—inflammation of the strong, thick ligament stretching along the base of the foot. This can happen especially in people with low or flattened arches who are working out without sufficient arch support.
Sports Medicine Foot and Ankle First Aid Tips
If you are experiencing any foot or ankle pain from a sudden or overuse injury, stop and apply the “RICE” method: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Rest and elevate your foot and ankle, ice it for 20 minutes on and off, and if you have an ankle or foot bandage, wrap the affected area to provide some extra support. And then contact us for an appointment so Dr. Suh can get you the care you need to fully recover.
Preventing Foot and Ankle Sports Injuries
As we help you recover from a foot injury or ankle injury, we will also coach you on preventing future injuries.
Some of the most important things you can do to keep your feet and ankles strong and injury-free include:
- Stretching and conditioning exercises to keep the feet and ankles limber, strong, and flexible.
- Warm up before full activity to give all the connective tissues time to adjust.
- Consider using custom orthotics to provide your feet with personalized support designed to relieve pain and optimize foot alignment.
- Allow yourself adequate rest time between workouts and address even small pains quickly before they become worse.
Foot and Ankle Sports Medicine in Flower Mound, TX
Stay in the game with help from your foot and ankle sports medicine team. Whether you need help with foot pain, ankle pain, a sports injury, or just want to know how to prevent foot and ankle injuries during activity, schedule an appointment today.
