What Foot and Ankle Injuries Might I Get?
Some of the foot and ankle injuries The Woodlands Sports Medicine Centre sees most often include:
- Achilles tendon rupture
- Ankle fractures
- Fracture of the talus
- Fractures of the heel
- Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction
- Sprained ankle
- Toe and forefoot fractures
Fractures are breaks in one or more of the bones in your ankle joint, foot, or toes. Sprains are the overstretching or tearing of ligaments – the connective tissues that attach bones to one another in your joint and give it stability.
Ankle sprains are common injuries that occur when you fall or bend your ankle joint right over, or if you land awkwardly after jumping.
You can also get foot and ankle injuries from overuse and deterioration of the tissues, such as from arthritis.
What are Foot and Ankle Overuse Injuries?
Overuse means you’re repeating the same activity so often or over such a long period that the tissues start to get irritated and inflamed. These types of injuries are a frequent problem in athletics, where you might be doing the same activity over and over.
Common types of overuse injuries include:
- Stress Fractures: Stress fractures are tiny hairline fractures in your foot or ankle bones that develop when you put too much strain on your feet. The tiny fractures multiply over time until they start to cause chronic pain.
- Plantar Fasciitis: The plantar fascia is on the bottom of your foot. It’s a tough piece of tissue that supports the arch in your foot. Overstraining the tissue leads to plantar fasciitis, which causes inflammation and pain in your heel.
- Tendonitis: The Achilles tendon is behind your ankle and connects your calf muscles to your heel bone. It’s a strong, fibrous cord that enables you to walk, run, and jump. Overuse of your Achilles tendon can cause chronic pain and inflammation.
How are Foot and Ankle Injuries Treated?
The highly skilled orthopedic specialists at The Woodlands Sports Medicine Centre first assess the injury and the extent of the tissue damage so that they can prescribe the best treatment. Your treatment plan is likely to start with conservative approaches, which could include:
- Splinting or casting
- Orthotics
- Physical therapies
- Cortisone injections
- Viscosupplementation injections
For broken bones in your foot or ankle, you might require surgical fracture repair, which The Woodlands Sports Medicine Centre has specialist expertise in performing.
The surgeons use minimally invasive techniques like arthroscopy to see inside the joint and evaluate the injury. In many cases, they can use arthroscopy to carry out repairs to bones and soft tissues.
If the damage or deterioration of your ankle is too severe to treat, you might need to have ankle replacement surgery.
For the most advanced forms of treatment and a resolution of your foot and ankle injuries, call The Woodlands Sports Medicine Centre today or book an appointment online.
