Soccer Season: Prime Time for Foot, Ankle Injuries

Soccer season is in full swing and a local foot and ankle surgeon strongly urges parents and coaches to think twice before coaxing young, injury-prone soccer players to “play through” foot and ankle pain.
“Kids will play with lingering, nagging heel pain that, upon testing, turns out to be a stress fracture that neither they, their parents nor their coaches were aware of,” doctors say.  “By playing with pain, they can’t give their team 100 percent and make their injuries worse, which prolongs their time out of soccer.”
Dr. Lavian and Dr. Levy said they have actually had to show parents x-rays of fractures before they’ll take their kids out of the game.  “And stress fractures can be subtle – they don’t always show up on initial x-rays.”
Symptoms of stress fractures include pain during normal activity and when touching the area, and swelling without bruising. Treatment usually involves rest and sometimes casting.  Some stress fractures heal poorly and often require surgery, such as a break in the elongated bone near the little toe, known as a Jones fracture.
“Soccer is a very popular sport in our community, but the constant running associated with it places excessive stress on a developing foot,” Dr. Lavian and Dr. Levy says. They added that pain from overuse usually stems from inflammation, such as around the growth plate of the heel bone, more so than a stress fracture. “Their growth plates are still open and bones are still growing and maturing – until they’re about 13 to 16.  Rest and, in some cases, immobilization of the foot should relieve that inflammation,” Dr. Lavian and Dr. Levy says.
Other types of overuse injuries are Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis (heel pain caused by inflammation of the tissue extending from the heel to the toes).
For further information about various foot conditions, contact Dr. Lavian and Dr. Levy at 661-254-0795 for an evaluation.