Sports Medicine for Weekend Warriors

Sports Medicine for Weekend Warriors

You don’t have to be an athlete to experience a sports injury. Weekend warriors, who save most of their activity for the weekend, are much more prone to a sports injury. Your podiatrist can help. Dr. James Hurst at Centreville Foot & Ankle & Sports Medicine in Centreville, VA, provides a wide range of podiatry services, including treatment of sports injuries.

What You Need To Know About Foot and Ankle Sports Injuries

Weekend warriors may not do enough stretching and warm-up before playing a sport. This puts them at greater risk of straining muscles, tendons, and ligaments. If you experience a sports injury involving your feet, toes, or ankles, you should seek out the skills of your podiatrist, especially if you:

• Experience severe pain or swelling
• Can’t put weight on the injured area
• Feel a difference in your foot, ankle, or toe structure
• Heard a popping or snapping sound when you injured yourself
• Notice tingling, numbness, or weakness in your foot or ankle

If you are a weekend warrior, these are some of the most common sports injuries you may experience:

• Shin splints, which cause pain running down the front of your leg, next to your tibia
• Dislocated or fractured bones, which cause swelling, bruising, severe pain, and loss of function
• Tendon or ligament tears or strain, which cause severe pain and instability
• Plantar fasciitis, which causes pain on your heel and down the side of your foot
• Toenail damage, which causes pressure under your toenail and moderate to severe toe pain

Your podiatrist offers several treatment options for sports injuries and may recommend:

• Orthotics for plantar fasciitis and other conditions
• Prescription anti-inflammatory medications to reduce swelling and pain
• Assistive devices like casts and crutches to help with mobility issues
• Surgical treatment to realign fractured or broken bones or repair torn tendons and ligaments
• Physical therapy to help you regain mobility, strength, and full function

You can take a few important steps to help prevent sports injuries. You should:

• Start out slowly with a new sport, exercise program, or activity
• Stretch and warm-up thoroughly before you play a sport or do an activity
• Always wear appropriate safety gear for the activity or sport you are doing
• Always wear appropriate footwear for the activity or sport you are doing

Want To Know More?

To find out more about treatment of sports injuries and how your podiatrist can help, call Dr. James Hurst at Centreville Foot & Ankle & Sports Medicine in Centreville, VA. You can reach him in the office by calling (703) 830-3338, so call today.