While pro athletes may be more susceptible to injuries caused by the many years of repetitive stress from training and competition, you don’t have to be an Olympian to experience the oftentimes excruciating and debilitating pain that can accompany an injury.

Among the most common injuries seen by podiatrists are these three:

1. Ankle sprains—The ligaments and tendons that support the ankle joint can become stretched to the breaking point due to excessive stress or injury. The unfortunate result can be excruciating pain and severe inflammation and discomfort.
2. Tendonitis—A substantial amount of tendons in the feet and ankles are susceptible to various degrees of trauma and even possible breakage from overuse. The Achilles tendon, which is the largest tendon in your body, connects your heel bone to the calf muscle.
3. Hairline fractures, breaks, and bone bruises—Traumatic injuries including compound fractures are a common occurrence, but there is even a more common occurrence the small, hairline cracks and bone bruises that can result from the repetitive stress injuries often encountered in sports like running, tennis, basketball, and football.

Steps you can take to maintain strong and healthy ankles include:

• The right footwear—Choose footwear for your specific activity. You wouldn’t want to wear running shoes on the tennis court, or tennis shoes on the track since it would be very bad for your feet.
• Orthotic supports and inserts—Properly designed and placed orthotic inserts and supports can correct and treat a variety of foot problems, including poor gait mechanics and unstable ankles. Moore Balance Braces are custom made ankle/foot orthotics that provide all the necessary stability and support and help prevent falls by minimizing abnormal ankle movements.
• Strength and flexibility exercises—Be sure to add foot and ankle stretching and strengthening exercises to your warm-up routine to prevent injuries and promote balance.

If you have experienced an injury to your foot or ankle, contact your foot care specialist for proper diagnosis and treatment. At Your Next Step, our team of board-certified podiatrists has access to advanced technologies, along with years of experience, to help diagnose and treat a variety of foot and ankle problems, including sports injuries, joint pain, toe deformities, nail fungus, chronic tendon pain, and skin problems. Dr. Eric Ricefield, Dr. Mark Yagodich and Dr. Aliza V. Eisen provide expert foot and ankle care to patients in the greater Philadelphia area at our offices conveniently located in Ardmore, Paoli, and Downingtown, PA. Please contact us for more information or to schedule an appointment.