Foot and ankle injuries occur in everyone who enjoys an active lifestyle. However, your risk significantly increases if you engage in competitive sports or follow an intense training program.

Some sports can cause certain injuries. For example, runners are vulnerable to heel pain and Achilles tendonitis, while turf toe (a sprained big toe) affects people who wrestle and play football and soccer.

Other common sports injuries include:

• Ankle sprains
• Ankle fractures
• Stress fractures
• Plantar fasciitis
• Achilles tendonitis
• Posterior tibial tendonitis
• Peroneal tendon injury
• Sesamoiditis
• Midfoot fracture (Lisfranc injury)

The repetitive movement caused by playing one sport can lead to overuse injuries and stress fractures. Sports that put stress on the ball of your foot, such as tennis and running, cause a nerve condition called Morton’s neuroma.

When you injure your foot and ankle, you experience one or more of the following symptoms:

• Foot and ankle pain
• Heel pain
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Stiffness
• Joint instability
• Limited movement
• Muscle weakness

In most cases, people have difficulty using the injured foot because bearing their body weight causes pain.

The podiatrists at Innovation Medical Group provide comprehensive treatment for sports injuries. After thoroughly evaluating your injury and taking in-office X-rays or other diagnostic imaging, they develop a customized treatment plan based on the type and severity of your injury.

The first line of treatment includes icing, rest, and temporarily changing your activities. Your provider may immobilize your foot with a walking boot or splint. You may also need anti-inflammatory medications or a steroid injection.

Custom orthotics can improve function, absorb shock, improve gait biomechanics, and control foot and ankle movement. In addition to preventing future injuries, orthotics often enhance your sports performance.

A foot or ankle fracture always requires immobilization to promote healing. However, if you have a complex fracture or a crush injury, your Innovation Medical Group provider performs surgery to realign the bones, clean the wound, and stabilize the injury while it heals.

As your treatment progresses and your injury heals, you also start physical therapy and sport-specific rehabilitation.