As summer sports are in full swing, we have been seeing more and more Sprained Foot injuries, so we thought we should shed some light on the injury so you can identify the symptoms and insure you are receiving the correct treatment.
So what does it mean if I’ve sprained my foot?
Great question, the term sprain is often misunderstood, let me shed some light on that for you.
Here goes, a sprained foot is when you damage or tear the connective tissue – such as ligaments, cartilage and joint capsules – of one or more joints in the foot. During certain movements of the foot, activities such as landing after jumping on an uneven surfaces or with the foot in an awkward position or even rolling an ankle can cause stretching or compression forces that are placed on the joints within the foot. If these forces are excessive in the sense of too much repetition, or of high impact, injury to the joints are more likely to occur – the injury is known as a sprained foot and may affect one or more joints.
How will I know if I’ve sprained my foot? What will it feel like?
Trust me- you’ll know! It feels nasty. Here’s some important info for you. Patients with a sprained foot will often experience a sudden onset of pain during the activity they are par-taking in. This pain can also carry over to the next morning, where they will often experience pain and stiffness. Many patients who suffer from a sprained ankle will experience pain on the top, bottom or side of the affected joint. Occasionally this pain can be referred into the toes or ankle on the affected side of the foot.
These symptoms are often only noticed when matched with activities that place pressure on the affected joint, such as standing, walking, running, standing on tippy toes, etc. It is also common for patients to experience bruising or swelling when the case is more severe, as well as walking with a limp. Patients suffering from a sprained foot will also feel pain when firm pressure, like touching, is applied to the affected area.
What should I do if this happens to me?
Take action quickly is my advice!
Your Podiatrist will guide you in the next step and provide you stretches and exercises for you to do, it will begin with initial, basic exercises and eventually progress to more intermediate exercises. These will be proscribed to you depending on the severity of the sprain, and how well you are progressing.
Returning to sport or other normal activity can usually occur within 2-6 weeks, in the case of a minor to moderate foot sprain. This will be achieved only if an appropriate management and treatment plan is put in place, and followed. For patients who suffer a more severe injury will usually require a longer period of rehabilitation to gain back optimum function.
If you are suffering with a sprained foot, or are unsure if you have sprained your foot, please contact us at the office on (02) 6024 5577 and one of our experienced Podiatrists will help you out.
The team at Border Podiatry