What is Sports Medicine?
Sports medicine podiatrists specialize in treating and preventing injuries in athletes and dancers, aiding their recovery and enhancing their performance. Whether they are professionals or amateurs, athletes, and dancers heavily rely on the strength and flexibility of their feet and ankles. With each practice, competition, or performance, they subject these areas to intense stress. This strain affects muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones, and joints, which can lead to injuries from repetitive movements, overtraining, poor technique, or accidents, resulting in both overuse and sudden injuries.
Overuse Injuries
Athletes and dancers frequently experience overuse injuries. These injuries gradually build up and may not cause enough pain initially to interrupt their activities. However, even minor overuse injuries can linger and deteriorate, making treatment more challenging over time.
Overuse injuries commonly occur due to factors like repetitive strain, inadequate training methods, insufficient recovery periods, unsuitable footwear, previous injuries, age, weight, and biomechanical issues. Athletes and dancers often encounter overuse injuries such as
- Achilles tendon injuries
- Plantar fasciitis
- Stress fractures
- Morton’s neuroma
- Ankle sprains.
Other common injuries include:
- Contusions
- Sesamoiditis
- Ankle impingement (especially in dancers)
- Trigger toe
Acute Injuries
An acute sports injury occurs instantly from a specific traumatic event, such as a collision, impact, fall, twist, or abrupt change in direction. These injuries typically cause immediate and intense pain and may be accompanied by swelling, redness, bruising, and sometimes visible deformities like bone protrusion. Such injuries also usually lead to reduced movement or an inability to move the affected area entirely.
The most common acute injuries among athletes and dancers include:
- Fractures
- Ankle sprains
- Ankle strains
- Achilles tendon ruptures
- Turf toe
- Bone dislocations
- Shin splints
- Crush injuries
The Importance of Prompt and Proper Treatment
Athletes and dancers might feel tempted to ignore symptoms and "push through" an injury to keep training, competing, or performing. However, these symptoms are a warning sign and should be promptly evaluated by a podiatrist. Immediate and proper treatment is crucial to prevent the injury from worsening or causing further, potentially more serious, complications.
Regardless of your level of athleticism, never ignore any pain, swelling, bruising, or limited mobility in your feet or ankles. Schedule an appointment with a podiatrist who can diagnose and treat the root cause of your issue. They can also help prevent future injuries and provide tips and techniques to keep you performing at your best.
