If you’re like many people, you’re probably returning to a more active lifestyle and spending more time outside due to the nice weather. Exercise and enjoying the outdoors is great for your health — however, if you’ve been inactive during the winter, you could be prone to foot and ankle injuries as you increase walking, playing sports, or running. Our foot doctor in Wauwatosa explains more here.
Common Injuries & Symptoms
The most common injuries generally occur due to overuse of the feet and ankles. Sometimes, they appear in conjunction with poor footwear choices, a sudden increase in overall activity, or not resting enough between workouts. Some common overuse injuries include:
- Plantar fasciitis, which is inflammation of the band of tissue that connects the heel to the front of the foot, leading to heel and arch pain
- Bone stress injury, which can quickly progress to a stress fracture
- Achilles tendon stress, which causes pain in the heel and back of the foot
How Can You Tell?
If you follow at-home treatment suggestions — rest, ice, compress, and elevate your injured foot or ankle — and reduce activity in response to your overuse injury, your symptoms should subside over time, and you may return to regular exercise. However, if you continue without addressing your pain, your injury can progress to acute damage, such as an ankle sprain, break, or tendon inflammation. If you notice any of the below symptoms, you may be suffering an acute injury that needs more urgent care than just rest:
- Sharp, sudden pain in the ankle, shin, or toe
- Heat, redness, or swelling around joints
- Extreme difficulty walking
- A large bump on the big toe
If you are in severe pain and unsure how serious your condition is, you should always contact our podiatrist to be evaluated.
Surgery As a Last Resort
It’s critical to intervene when your pain first occurs to stop your condition from worsening. With simple at-home care and advice from our doctor, you can heal many foot and ankle problems. It is not common to need surgery for the above issues, but we always offer surgical intervention as a last resort for conditions such as bunions and joint degeneration.
Contact Our Foot Doctor in Wauwatosa for More Information!
To find out more, contact us at (414) 246-9639. Our friendly team will answer any questions you may have about foot care or scheduling a consultation.