Know when to see a podiatrist for your sports-related foot and ankle injuries.
You probably don’t think about it often, but your feet are a crucial part of being physically active. While exercise is incredibly good for health and wellbeing, it can also take quite the toll on your feet and ankles. It’s important to recognize what sports injuries and symptoms warrant seeing our Houston, TX, podiatrists for treatment.
What are the most common sports injuries?
While our Houston podiatrists see a lot of sports injuries day in and day out at the office, there are some fairly common ones that are worth noting. For one, ankle sprains make it to the top of the list. In fact, about 25,000 Americans sprain their ankles every day!
Along with sprained ankles, we also see,
- Plantar fasciitis
- Achilles tendon injuries
- Stress fractures
- Turf toe and broken toes
- Shin splints
How do I handle a sports injury?
It’s important that you take time to rest and that you don’t rush back into playing any sports until you have had time to heal. This may only take a couple of days, depending on the type and severity of your injury. Along with rest, it’s important to ice, elevate and apply compression. While you will want to avoid most physical activities, you may choose to stretch or perform certain therapeutic exercises that can help improve mobility and functionality in the feet and ankles.
When should I see a podiatrist?
If you don’t see pain and inflammation going away within 24 hours of rest and home care, then it’s time to see one of our podiatrists. It’s also important that you see a podiatrist right away if,
- You are dealing with severe pain or swelling
- You can’t put weight on the injured foot
- You notice changes in the structure or shape of your foot or ankle
- You heard a snapping or popping sound at the time of injury
- You notice numbness, weakness or tingling in the foot or ankle
Podiatry Associates of Houston provides treatment and care to patients dealing with everything from sports injuries to arthritis in Chimney Rock, Memorial City, Katy, Willowbrook and Woodlands, TX. If you need to schedule an evaluation with us for a sports-related injury, call (713) 666-0287 for the Chimney Rock office, (713) 467-1299 for the Memorial City office, (281) 579-0186 for the Katy office, (832) 912-7792 for the Willowbrook office, or (281) 849-9891 for the Woodlands office.