Athletes can feel their feet absorbing the immense force that comes with playing their sport. However, at Your Next Step, we are interested in how some sports cause more foot and ankle injuries than others. While nearly any physical activity can lead to injury, research highlights specific sports where foot and ankle problems are particularly prevalent. Today, we will rank them from lowest to highest risk.
Tennis
While having a relatively lower injury rate compared to high-contact sports, tennis demands sharp lateral movements, sudden stops, and pivots on hard courts.
This places significant stress on the ankle ligaments. The repetitive push-off for serves and volleys can also contribute to Achilles tendonitis and stress fractures, particularly in the metatarsals.
Running
Cross-country sports show particularly high proportions of foot injuries relative to other injuries in that sport.
Each foot strike sends force up through the kinetic chain. Overuse, improper footwear, hard surfaces, or biomechanical issues can overload tissues. This commonly leads to plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, and stress fractures from cumulative micro-damage to bones that haven’t had time to heal.
Soccer
Combining endurance running with sprints, sudden cuts, kicking, and frequent contact, soccer puts feet and ankles in the line of fire. Studies show that ankle sprains are disproportionately the most common injuries, with some showing upwards of 80%.
Direct impact from collisions or being stepped on can also cause bruises and fractures, whereas kicking places unique stress on the bones and joints of the foot itself.
American Football
Known for high-impact collisions, explosive sprints, and quick cuts on artificial turf (a field type known to be problematic for injuries), football sees high rates of foot and ankle trauma (around 4.55 injuries per 10,000 athlete exposures in high school, with foot/ankle issues comprising up to 20-30% of all injuries).
The forces involved in tackling and blocking can lead to severe ankle fractures and metatarsal fractures. Specific injuries like turf toe and Lisfranc injuries (damage to the midfoot ligaments/bones, often from a player landing on the back of a planted foot) are also more prevalent in football.
Basketball
Often topping the charts for ankle injuries, basketball involves constant jumping, awkward landings, pivoting, and rapid deceleration on hard courts. In NCAA athletes, ankle injuries account for over 20% of all injuries in basketball.
This makes lateral ankle sprains exceptionally common – for many athletes, high jumps cause the foot to roll inward upon landing, and the court’s surface contributes to stress fractures, plantar fasciitis, and general ankle instability if previous sprains haven’t fully healed.
Dr. Eric Ricefield, Dr. Mark Yagodich, Dr. Aliza V. Eisen, and Dr. Cassandra Stache are happy to solve your foot and ankle problems. Book your appointment and contact us today!