Sports Injuries

Foot Injuries

The foot absorbs all of the body's weight, and during exercise it can bare over 20 times the person's body weight. Foot injuries account for 15% of sports related injuries, and approximately 75% Americans have foot pain at some point in their lives. The most common cause of foot pain and injury is trauma. Other causes include rapid or improper warm-up, overuse, intense workouts, improper footwear and playing on hard surfaces.

A podiatrist specializes in the treatment of foot injuries and disorders of the foot, ankle, knee, leg and hip. Podiatrists often prescribe rest and icing of the affected area to relieve symptoms.

The foot serves several functions. It supports the weight of the body, acts as a shock absorber, propels the leg forward and maintains the body's balance on uneven surfaces. The foot consists of 26 bones and is divided into four parts: the fore-foot, mid-foot, hind-foot and heel.

The forefoot is composed of the five toes (phalanges) and their connecting long bones (metatarsals). Each toe is made up of several small bones. The mid-foot has five irregularly shaped tarsal bones and forms the foot's arch and serves as a shock absorber. The bones of the mid-foot are connected to the forefoot and the hind-foot by muscles and the arch ligament. The hind-foot is composed of three joints and links the mid-foot to the ankle. The heel bone (calcaneus) is the largest bone in the foot and is cushioned by a layer of fat.

The foot also has many ligaments that connect and hold bones together and maintain the arched shape. These, like the bones, can also be sources of injury.

The cause of foot pain is either stress or injury related. In the case of a stress injury, an abnormal amount of weight and stress placed on the foot, due to improper footwear, walking barefoot or being overweight, can lead to general foot pain over time. For stress injuries, always wearing proper footwear and maintaining a healthy body weight will help relieve pain.

Injury to the foot caused by physical activity, especially activities in which one might land incorrectly, such as walking, running and jumping. To reduce the chances of physical injury, one can stretch each foot, the Achilles tendon and calf muscle before exercising.

Regardless of what causes heel pain, relief can almost always be found by resting and icing the foot and taking anti-inflammatory medicine. Foot pain can also be relieved through weight loss and wearing proper footwear, especially in pregnant women. Depending on a person's activity level, shoes should be replaced up to two to three times a year. If pain is not relieved once all of these measures have been taken a podiatrist should be consulted.