Foot Injuries

What are some common foot injuries?

Foot injuries can cause extensive pain and can even impede your ability to move freely. They’re often slow to heal because of the weight you place on your feet when you walk or stand up. 

Any structure in your foot, including the bones, tendons, ligaments, and muscles, can accumulate damage from overuse over time, or an acute injury can cause instant, severe pain. Both injury types may require professional podiatric care in order to heal effectively. 

The podiatrists at Kaplansky Foot and Ankle Centers frequently diagnose and treat these common foot and ankle injuries:

• Sprains
• Strains
• Fractures
• Dislocations
• Tendon injuries
• Ligament injuries
• Wounds

Certain lifestyle factors and behaviors can increase your risk for injuries like these. For example, if you’re an athlete, you’re probably more likely to experience a foot or ankle injury than someone who participates in mild exercise. Your risk for foot and ankle injuries generally increases with age. 

How are foot injuries diagnosed?

Some early indications of a foot or ankle injury are sudden pain, inflammation, redness, and swelling. If the injury is severe enough, you might struggle to walk or stand on the affected foot. 

If you have symptoms consistent with a foot or ankle injury and the cause isn’t immediately apparent upon examination, the podiatrists at Kaplansky Foot and Ankle Centers might recommend an imaging test. X-rays and MRIs can give your provider a closer and more detailed look at the bone and tissue within your foot. 

How are foot injuries treated?

Kaplansky Foot and Ankle Centers develops an individualized treatment strategy based on your specific diagnosis. Treatments not only work to relieve pain and other symptoms, but they can also repair the damage, restore function, and work to prevent infections or other complications. 

Possible treatments for your foot or ankle injury include:

• Braces, splints, or casts
• Pain relief medications
• Physical therapy
• Orthotic devices
• Corticosteroid injections

You’ll also have a set of instructions for home care, which may include icing the injury or resting the affected foot to allow it time to heal. 

Surgery is usually a last resort, but it might be necessary if other steps can’t heal the injury effectively. You’ll likely need to continue physical therapy and other treatments to make a complete recovery. 

Foot and ankle injuries can develop over time or happen on a whim. To treat the injury and restore function to your foot or ankle, call Kaplansky Foot and Ankle Centers or book an evaluation online today.