Patel Podiatry
Treating Sports Injuries
Sports can be a lot of fun until someone gets hurt–especially when that someone is you. Whether you’ve twisted your ankle during a game of tennis or you’ve fractured your foot during a particularly rough game of football, a visit to a sports injury podiatrist is usually the best first step to take.
Not only do sports injuries prevent further participation and cause pain, but you may be unaware of how badly you’ve injured your foot or ankle. Injuries range from tendon and ligament stress and tears to bone fractures and breaks, and none of these should go untreated.
Types of Sports Injuries
Sports injuries can range anywhere from muscle sprains/strains to dislocated joints or fractured/broken bones! According to Very Well Health, some causes of sports injuries include poor training practices, improper equipment or physical support, lack of proper conditioning, and insufficient warm-up and stretching. In many sports, certain parts of the body receive more impact or stress than others. This can include the knees, shins, ankles, shoulders, backs, and hips, all of which require proper diagnostic testing and treatment models.
Some common sports injuries include:
- Achilles Tendinitis
- Ankle Sprains
- Athlete’s Foot
- Shin Splints
- Turf Toe
Many of these injuries are extremely treatable with the proper knowledge of what kind of injury you’re dealing with, and there are many things you can do to prevent these injuries from happening in the first place, or from happening again if you’ve already been injured.
Preventative Care Recommendations
When it comes to sports injuries, many conditions are preventable, and highly treatable when they do happen. Our preventative care recommendations include proper stretching before and after physical activity, sufficient conditioning before attempting intense exercises or movements, and building muscle around sensitive joint structures like shoulders, knees, and ankles. When you fail to prepare your body for these strenuous activities, you’re putting yourself at risk of injuring the parts of your body that you use the most. Weather, with proper care, preparation, and maintenance, you can avoid many types of sports injuries and the tedious treatments that come with them.
The Importance of Proper Care
If you do end up with a sports-related injury, taking proper care of your injuries is crucial to helping your body heal well and prevent lasting pain! Paying a visit to your podiatrist is one of the first and most important steps in the process of recovery from sports-related injuries. Not only do these doctors specialize in foot and ankle health, but they can help you minimize damage to your body and assist you in healing your injuries with as little pain as possible. Left untreated, foot and ankle injuries often only get worse, which is why you must see us as soon as you feel pain in those areas.
Treatment Options
Treating sports injuries can look very different from person to person, but the underlying components of healing an injury remain the same: support for tendons, muscles, and bones, proper alignment of joints, and preventive measures to help you avoid future injuries.
- RICE
- Stretching
- Custom Orthotics
- Radial Pulsewave Therapy (EPAT)
We may prescribe medications to help you manage pain, in addition to setting up appointments for physical therapy or sending you home with exercises to practice to build muscle and tendon strength. All of these measures help to heal active injuries and prevent future ones.
When To See Us for Sports Injury Treatment
If you deal with consistently sore or achy feet, ankles, or legs, then you might think this is normal. Luckily for you, we specialize in foot and ankle care so that you don’t have to live with chronic pain. Any difficulties with walking or running, consistent pain or discomfort, or sharp pains after a suspected injury should be immediately taken to an expert for diagnosis, harm reduction, and proper treatment.
Schedule an appointment today by calling 203-876-7736 for our Milford location or 203-288-4055 for Hamden, or by filling out our online form.