Overuse injuries of the foot and ankle. It seems to be that time of year when people are becoming more active and working hard to get in shape for the summer season. We have seen a recent increase in stress and overuse injuries over the last month or so, likely attributed to this increase in exercise and activity. While we applaud the motivation to live a healthy and active lifestyle, it is important to take some preventive measures to help avoid injury. I’d like to discuss some of the common injuries that we see and some things you can do to avoid injury and maintain your desired exercise level.
Common overuse injuries. Some of the more common overuse injuries that we see include Sever’s disease, stress fractures and tendonitis. Sever’s disease, or calcaneal apophysitis, is an inflammation in the growth plate of the heel bone, typically seen in kids around 10 to 14-years-old who are very active. These kids are usually in track, club soccer or in gymnastics a few times a week. Stress fractures are not restricted to those with osteoporosis. We see them in younger people who are doing higher mileage or have recently started a new exercise program. Tendinitis can occur in any age-group, and can occur due to poor foot and ankle mechanics, over-worn shoes, wearing the wrong shoes for your activity and so on.
Prevention. Prevention of overuse injuries is the smartest approach. The following are some tips to keep yourself active and will help you avoid a period of recovery.
– Stretch well before and more importantly, after exercising.
– Make sure you have appropriate shoes for your activity (if you don’t know what to look for, schedule an appointment with a foot doctor or buy shoes from a specialist, such as at Runner’s Lane in Valencia).
– Make sure your shoes are not too worn.
– Ease into an exercise program (going from no exercise to seven days a week all of a sudden is generally unwise)
– What surface are you running or walking on? (flat or angled road, concrete versus dirt or grass, treadmills have good shock-absorption, etc.)
– If your arches flatten when standing, get some over-the-counter arch supports or consider custom orthotics.
– If you start to feel a consistent soreness, ice the affected area after a work-out and modify your activity right away for a week or two.
– If you have consistent pain in one area, get it checked out.
The Foot and Ankle Institute of Valencia welcomes you for consultation and treatment of whatever foot or ankle problem you may have.
For more information or an appointment, please call 661-260-1180.