Foot injuries have always been prevalent in the NFL; a team can have multiple players out at a time with foot injuries. The Charger's 6'4" tight end, Antonio Gates, has been suffering with foot problems for over a year. Gates tore his plantar fascia in October of 2010 and played on it through December. He hoped that by resting in the off-season, the injury would heal itself. The R&R didn't seem to work, Gates is still suffering from foot pain.

Injuries of the plantar fascia can be very painful. Plantar fasciitis (also known as a heel spur) is heel and arch pain on the bottom of the foot that results from overpronation of the connective tissue on the bottom of your foot.

There's a steps you can take do to avoid plantar fasciitis. 1) Stretch your plantar fascia before running or engaging in activities. Even if you're not going to do something strenuous, it's not a bad idea to stretch your feet periodically.  2) Wear shoes that support your arches or put  arch-supporting inserts in your shoes. Your shoes should cushion your feet and support your arch. Have you ever walked around all day in a pair of cheap flip flops? At the end of the day, the bottom of your feet feel like they've been pulled apart.  3) Ice if you need to. If the pain gets to be bad, take a break from being on your feet by icing them and maybe an ibuprofen to reduce swelling.

For more information on Plantar fasciitis, visit our plantar fasciitis webpage: http://www.coachellavalleypodiatrist.com/library/1915/PlantarFasciitis%28heelspur%29.html

Children are typically very active.  With this increased activity, injuries are going to happen.  When there is a severe injury to the foot or ankle, your podiatrist should be seen to make sure there is not an injury to the growth plate.

What is the growth plate?  The long bones in the body grow, become larger over time as the kids grow.  The growth plate is at the end of the bone and allows this growth to occur until maturity when the growth plate is now incorporated into the bone and growth ceases.  During the growth period, this area of the bone is softer than regular bone and can become injured.

Injuries and accidents happen in children.  This can cause a separation, compression, deformity or angulation of the growth plate.  This can result in growth disturbances as the child grows.  That is why it is important to have your kids evaluated and treated.   Left untreated, this can cause an abnormality in the length or angulation of the bone growing and cause the child problems for the rest of their life.  The changes which occur due to an injury can be subtle and need the expertise of your podiatrist. 

Ankle Sprain
Injuries to the ankle are very common especially among highly active individuals but it can happen to anyone. Even simple day to day activities can cause an ankle sprain if too much unexpected force is applied to the foot. Patients often recall taking a wrong a step off a curb and feeling a "pop." One patient said he ran after the mailman and actually heard a "pop" from his leg. So what could that "pop" be?

The ankle joint consists of three important bones, tibia, fibula, and talus, held together by ligaments. The common "popping" sound comes from tearing any one of these ligaments, most commonly the anterior talofibular ligament. This ligament is located on the outside ankle towards the front of the foot. Sometimes, this injury is overlooked because people are still able to walk on it. Some swelling, bruising, and pain may be noted at the ankle and are key indicators of an underlying injury.

It is important to know when this type of injury requires medical attention. For the most part, common ankle sprains can be alleviated by the acronym "RICE." Resting the injured foot by limiting motion until the swelling goes down; icing the area with a bag of frozen vegetables or ice pack, compression such as a fabric bandage wrapped around the ankle, and elevating the foot will help the swelling to go down too. Taking over the counter pain medicines should help with some of the discomfort.

However, if there is a break in the skin and bone appears to be protruding through the skin, or new bumps appear in the skin, seek care immediately. Other signs that require emergent care includes the inability to walk a few steps, unbearable pain, and if the color of your foot turns dusky and pale. These may be signs that a bone has been broken and healing prognosis is better with early detection.

If in doubt, seek professional advice from your podiatrist. They may want you to come into the office and run additional tests if necessary. Some tests they may order includes evaluating that the nerves and arteries are in-tact, x-rays to see if bones are injured, ultrasonography to evaluate the ligaments, and sometimes CT scans. The physician may also order crutches and/or apply a brace to help your ankle heal properly.

There are many things you can do to prevent future injuries. Strengthening exercises can be recommended by a physical therapist. Proper shoes that provide ankle stability are helpful, such as high top tennis shoes. However, high heeled shoes actually put the ankle in an unstable position so are best avoided to avoid ankle injuries.

Surgery is uncommon for this type of injury but may be indicated if the ankle does not heal with conservative treatment. Good news is that the majority of ankle sprains will not require any surgery and will benefit with strengthening exercises to prevent future injuries. These preventive measures can be discussed with your podiatrist.

Back To School-A Time to Examine Your Feet

At this time of year when children are going back to school, parents should be reminded to have their kids seen by a podiatrist. This is the perfect time to get that yearly check-up and make sure there are no foot, ankle, or leg problems which would interfere with the daily activities and sports your children will be doing at school. If there are problems which are not attended to, this can cause disability and future problems which the child may develop. As activity levels change and increase, more stress is put on the lower extremities, which can then aggravate existing problems and deformities, causing pain, difficulty walking, running or doing normal activities.

At a time when many school districts have less funding for nursing staff and physical education staff, causing a reduction in these personnel, children are at a greater risk for injury. This makes it even more critical to have your children see their podiatrist yearly for examinations.

Younger children can injure themselves while playing sports, and if they have pain and can not walk, they should be seen to make sure there is no fracture through the growth plate of the bone. The growth plate is a separate area of long bones which allows the bone to grow and reach the adult size, at which point there is no further growth of that bone. Fractures in this area require experience in knowing what to look for on x-rays and through examination, all qualities podiatrist have. We treat the feet and ankles all day and have vast knowledge of the injury mechanisms and what to look for when someone injures their foot or ankle. It is possible to twist and ankle and break the bone up in the leg or in the foot, but the patient may only complain of pain in the ankle. This is where experience counts.

Healthy feet, ankles and legs can help your children grow and develop normally. Isn't this what all parents want for their kids!