4 Common Sportsmen Problems that Require Podiatry Treatments

Whether you are highly trained in your sports or a regular athlete, there’s always a chance to get injured or come across some internal damage to your feet. Unfortunately, it’s true. Even if you are extra careful about maintaining your feet’s conditions all the time and take utmost care, the consistent strain on the feet due to regular sports activities will give rise to pain after a certain age.  There are innumerable feet problems that can hamper the lifestyle and career of sportspersons. We’ve here explained the most common feet problems that nearly everyone faces and can be easily recovered with regular podiatry treatments from podiatry specialists. 

Joint pain at the ankles or knees is likely to develop after an athlete spends years practising and playing sports in the field. Soreness, redness, stiffness and swelling at the joints are the most common symptoms seen which can aggravate if not taken care of. Swelling up of the joint at the toe, also called as bunion is extremely painful. Having natural calcium supplements, effective physical therapy regularly and applying topical oil or medicine prescribed by podiatrists will help in healing joint pain.  

Heel pain in the next common problem faced by athletes and acute pain on the heels can disable their movements. It is more problematic because the person can lose balance on feet and may fall while walking or running, leading to other injuries.  They are caused due to consistent pressure on the feet after prolonged standing or running. Fortunately, there are many ways for heel pain treatment that works wonder such as ice therapy, orthotics (socks and shoe inserts), night splint, and medications suggested by podiatry clinics. 

It is caused due to pain in the muscles that are present at the upper front side of the thighs. The function of the muscles is to make the legs and knees as much as flexible enough to move forth. Thus, pain in the flexor muscles will severely hamper the movement of a person. It is mainly caused due to running inclines, fast activities, sprinting and quick motions with many twists and turns.   Hip flexor strains can be best treated with prolonged rest accompanied by some hip-strengthening physical therapy.

An ankle sprain is caused by wear or tear of the ligaments at the ankle due to much strain at the ligaments. It occurs because of excessive sports activities, consisting jumping, running or even twists and turns of the feet which cause strain on the ligaments. Thus, mostly basketball, volleyball and football players encounter this problem. While numbness, swelling, and stiffness are the symptoms, ankle sprain needs to be treated immediately by podiatry specialists to heal within weeks. 

Every sportsperson faces mild to major problems either with their toe, heel, ankle or knee due to aging or excess of physical strain. While any of the problems can be an obstacle in their passion and dedications for sports, they need to get podiatry treatments at the earliest stage. Even the slightest occurrence of symptoms should not be overlooked and needs to be diagnosed by the podiatrists.

The Author is a former podiatry doctor who has an all-round knowledge of the different feet distresses and podiatry treatments prevalent for healing them. In his blogs, he takes attempts to explain foot therapies, gait assessment, custom orthotics, heel pain treatment, and other podiatry care services.

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