What it is
The end of seasonal sports does not mean an end to athletic injuries. Many present in the weeks after a season ends, when accumulated micro-damage finally becomes symptomatic, or during off-season training when volume ramps too quickly.
Achilles tendinopathy, metatarsal stress fractures, sesamoiditis, turf toe and peroneal tendon injuries make up the bulk of what we treat. Each has a return-to-play timeline, and each gets substantially worse when that timeline is ignored.
Symptoms we look for
- Pain that begins mid-activity and lingers afterward
- Localized bone tenderness you can point to with one finger
- Morning stiffness in the Achilles or arch
- Swelling that returns each time you train
How we treat it
- Imaging to distinguish stress reaction from stress fracture
- Activity modification with a specific return-to-play plan
- Shockwave therapy for chronic tendinopathy
- Custom orthotics and footwear correction
- Surgical repair for complete tendon ruptures
When to see a podiatrist
Any pain that makes you change your stride, or bone tenderness you can locate with one fingertip, should be imaged. Stress reactions heal in weeks; the completed stress fractures they become take months.
Common questions
Can I train through it?
Sometimes, with modification — but not if it is a bone stress injury. That is precisely the situation where training through it turns a three-week problem into a three-month one.
Do you treat youth athletes?
Yes. Growth-plate injuries in adolescent athletes present differently from adult injuries and need specific evaluation.