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Keeping your lower extremity healthy is very important to athletes. Participation in sports requires careful training and conditioning in order to avoid painful injuries, such as sprains and fractures. Luckily, with the help of your podiatrist will not only treat your athletic injuries, but also get you back into the competition as soon as safely possible. Proper stretching before and after workouts, and before games go a long way to prevent overuse injuries to the supporting structures of the lower extremity. Warm-up and cool-down exercises should take 5-10 minutes and should be conducted in a stretch/hold/relax pattern, without any bouncing or pulling. When muscles are properly warmed up, the strain on muscles, tendons, and joints is reduced. With that said, taking extra precautions when it comes to protecting your feet from injury during athletics is very important to staying ahead of the game. Contact Sports and Your Feet Injuries are inevitable in contact sports, especially in the lower extremities. With proper conditioning, equipment, and technique, competitors in contact sports have successful, healthy playing seasons. The time a football, soccer or lacrosse player spends in an actual game represents only a tiny fraction of time spent in practice, conditioning for competition. Practices involve hours of running, repetitive drills, and scrimmages every day. While conditioning exercises in practice will strengthen and improve flexibility in the lower extremity, the repeated stress of practice may bring on chronic injuries. These injuries can affect the player's entire season of competition. The foot and ankle bear the brunt of the crashes, bumps, and bruises of contact sports. Feet get stepped on, kicked, jammed, twisted and cut. Quick changes in direction and hard tackling can lead to sprains and fractures of the ankle, as well. Common Foot Problems and Injuries For athletes, it is very important to remain on top of protecting your feet. When an injury occurs it may often put an end to their playing until the injury is healed properly, otherwise you can risk re-injury. The following are a few of the most common athletic foot problems: Plantar Fasciitis - An inflammation and irritation of the band of tissue that extends from the heel along the arch of the foot. Of all athletes, runners experience plantar fasciitis the most, causing pain in the heel and arch. Sprains and Fractures - Stretched or torn ligaments, known as sprains, may cause extensive swelling around the ankle just like a fracture. Fractures are where the bone has cracked or broken and often may require a cast. Athlete's Foot - It is very common for athletes to experience fungus on their feet. Athlete's foot is the most common of these infections, and is most often contracted in warm, moist public areas, such as locker rooms, pools and showers. This foot fungus usually appears as cracked and peeling skin on the bottom of the foot or between the toes. It typically itches, and when severe, blisters can form. Foot injuries and conditions happen often, especially to individuals who actively participate in sports and other physical activities. While you can always prevent these problems from occurring, you can prepare yourself for such injuries. Visit your podiatrist at the initial onset of an injury or condition, in order to treat and further prevent foot problems.
Sean Hartmen writes for Dr. Vantre, a podiatrist in Richmond. Dr. Vantre has been successfully treating his patients by providing the best in foot and ankle care to his patients in the Richmond area. Uniquely qualified to treat any traumatic, reconstructive, or congenital conditions of the foot, hind foot, ankle and lower leg, Dr. Vantre, a Richmond podiatrist, is committed to providing patients with
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