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In the winter months many recreational athletic
activities move indoors. Indoor facilities are available for many sports
such as tennis, soccer, basketball and volleyball. Even runners can keep
in shape using the track at the local health club. The hard surfaces
found indoors can cause quite a pounding for your feet and ankles. Some
of the injuries most commonly affecting indoor sports participants
include:
Stress fractures.
The
most frequent site for stress fractures is the metatarsal bone. However,
they can occur in any one of the 28 bones in the foot, and if not
properly diagnosed and treated, can lead to long-term consequences.
Persistent pain in the foot is a warning sign that something is wrong.
Heel pain.
The heel is another common injury
site. Pain may be due to plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the band
of tissue that extends from the heel bone to the base of the toes.
However, pain in this area may be due to other conditions, including
stress fractures and tendon problems. |
Achilles tendon injury.
The longest tendon in the human body, the
Achilles runs down the back of the lower leg and connects the calf
muscle to the heel bone. Overuse of the tendon, when too much stress is
placed on the tendon too quickly or when it is over stretched, leads to
micro-injury of the tendon fibers or rupture of the tendon.
Prevention
Conditioning and common sense go a
long way toward preventing serious injuries.
Always warm up.
Before beginning an activity, get the blood flowing into those muscles
and tendons by walking around the court a few times or spending 10
minutes on an exercise bike.
Gently stretch.
Hold
the stretch for 30 to 60 seconds; you should have to do each stretch
only once, and never stretch to the point of pain.
Use proper
footgear. Use the appropriate shoe
for your activity and foot type, and replace shoes frequently. Proper
support of arches is critical. |
If you do experience pain, discontinue the activity. If,
after a couple of days of rest, pain persists, make an appointment with
our office for an evaluation. Don’t let a foot or ankle injury keep you
on the sidelines this winter!
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