Foot Injury: What You Need To Know
A foot injury is a type of injury that can happen anywhere on the feet caused by excessive strain on your feet, such as jumping and running without proper footwear. The most common injuries are to the toes, heel, ankle or arch.
Bunions
It is a deformity of the big toe..A visible bump or swelling on the big toe side.
Plantar Fasciitis
It is an inflammation of a band of tissue that connects your toes to your heel on the bottom of your foot, called fasciitis.
Achilles Tendinitis
The Achilles tendon is the largest in the body and connects two calf muscles to the ankle bone.
Ankle Sprains
The ligament is used to describe the tough, elastic tissue that connects two bones. An injury that involves a tear in this connective tissue can be difficult to heal and requires medical attention. A sprained ankle happens when one or more ligaments have been torn or stretched.
Heel Spurs
Calcium deposits that build up on the bottom of your heel bone develop heel spurs. They usually do not cause pain themselves, but they can irritate the plantar fascia, causing pain in the arch and heel.
Neuromas
Repetitive compression on the nerve causes an abnormal thickening of nerve tissue between the third and fourth toes. Foot neuroma is called Morton’s neuroma, which can cause burning pain in the ball of your foot.
Stress fracture of the foot or ankle
Repetitive excessive force on foot can result in microscopic damage to bones.
Symptoms Of Foot Injury
Prolonged pain
You’ve been experiencing pain in your foot since a few weeks after an injury or incident.
Difficulty
If you notice that the pain is getting worse over time or is hindering you from your daily tasks or activities.
Swelling / Inflammation / Bruises
If your swelling remains for two to five days after the injury, it is possible you have a fracture. It can happen before the initial bone heals enough to protect it from additional forces.
Foot pain
If you are experiencing tingling, numbness, or burning in your feet’ foot bones, that worsens when standing.
What Causes Foot Injuries?
Foot injuries usually occur in accidents such as vehicle accidents, in which there are often severe injuries that can damage the muscles, bone, or soft tissues in your feet that need medical treatment.
Accidents involving sports are common among athletes and active individuals. They are often at high risk of foot injuries because of sudden falls, trips, missteps, or overstrains during physical activity. Sometimes, performing our daily tasks involves lifting an object.
Repetitive overuse or improper lifting of heavy loads may put pressure on your feet and can lead to a foot injury due to the required strength. Sudden or direct blows from trauma or irritating the nerves of your foot from wearing tight and high-heeled shoes and other medical conditions and foot structure may contribute to developing foot injuries.
How to Treat Foot Injury
Treatment options vary depending on the severity, symptoms, and affected area. Initial treatment may be recommended by your podiatrist to manage the symptoms of your condition.
Rest
First aid for a foot injury is resting your feet. The purpose is to relax the muscles, ligaments, soft tissues in your feet by avoiding movements.
Stretch
There are a variety of exercises that are good for an injured foot.
Cold or Hot Treatment
Applying an ice pack to the affected area can reduce the swelling as it constricts the blood vessels and can be used as first aid for acute injuries. On the other hand, heat treatment is often used to relax the muscles by improving the blood flow, which is better for chronic problems.
Medications
Most foot problems have to do with the engineering of the foot, so custom functional orthotics are the gold standard.
Orthotics Devices
Physical Therapy
Your podiatrist may refer you to a physical therapist to rehab your foot or for foot exercises.
Foot Surgery
If significant pain or deformity persists, surgery may be appropriate to relieve your discomfort and restore function in your foot or ankle.
What are the Risk & limitations due to Foot Injuries in day to day life?
Risk factors for foot injuries affect your most basic functioning and mobility throughout day-to-day life when living with foot pain.
You are more likely to rest them to avoid worsening the inflammation, which causes other painful symptoms. Basic movement such as walking, running, jumping becomes difficult because of the affected ligaments or muscles in your feet. Hence, tasks that require your physical strength may be challenging due to limited motions.
Why Choose Stephen Zucal South Perth Podiatrist for Foot Injuries treatment?
The South Perth Podiatrist has excelled in providing podiatric care to residents of Perth and other nearby cities. If you are experiencing foot injuries or deformities, you may consult with our podiatrist to help you with the proper treatment or medication.
FAQs
FAQ's About Foot Injury
Why does my foot hurt?
It can be because of a sudden blow or fall (acute injury) and too much pressure place in the soft tissue in your feet (overuse injury). Pain is a common symptom of a foot injury due to overuse or trauma that causing inflammation. However, pain can be also a symptom of different diseases or conditions such as arthritis.
How do I know if my foot injury is serious?
If the bruises have pus, severe redness on the swollen area, signs of infections (warm sensation in the wound or affected area), prolonged pain and if walking becomes impossible. You need medical treatment if severe pain lasts for a week.
What are some common foot injuries?
The common foot injuries are stress fractures of the foot or ankle, ankle sprains, Achilles tendonitis, bunions, neuromas and plantar fasciitis.
Should I See a Podiatrist or Physiotherapist for Foot Pain/ Injuries?
If you have injuries in your ankle or feet you may need to consult with a Podiatrist, they are experts in providing diagnosis and treating feet problems.
I think I’ve broken a toe what should I do?
Initial treatments are resting your feet, applying a cold pack in the affected area, massage, wearing shoe inserts, pads or orthotics devices.
When should you see a doctor for a foot injury?
If the bruises have pus, severe redness on the swollen area, signs of infections (warm sensation in the wound or affected area), prolonged pain, visible bone outside the skin, if the area starts to turn blue and if walking becomes impossible. You need medical treatment if severe pain lasts for a week.
How do you know if you tore something in your foot?
Bone fractures may bring deformity, swelling, wounds, difficulty when walking and pain.
Can you wiggle your toes with a broken foot?
Yes, there is a possibility that you can move your toes if your foot has fractured because the toes are located in a different part of your foot or because the nerves and muscles that allow movement of the ankle were not affected by the fracture.
Can you break the top of your foot and still walk?
The top of your foot is called the midfoot or Lisfrank area which consists of little bones that help the arch of the foot. Midfoot injuries are usually mild to severe and need rest in preventing further damage. Injury outside the top of your foot is broken metatarsals may not stop a patient from walking, but the patient is still advised to avoid excessive walking as much as possible to reduce their risk of spraining, particularly if the injury is too painful or difficult to bear.
What does a torn ligament in the foot feel like?
Signs of a torn ligament in the foot include pain, swelling, bruising and tenderness. Pain often intensifies when walking or during other physical activities. These injuries make it difficult to put weight on the affected area.
How long does a foot injury take to heal?
Depending on the severity of your condition or injury. A minor injury may take time to heal within two to four weeks while fractures, sprains of post-operative cases may take six to twelve weeks to recover.
What should I do about an ingrown toenail?
To increase the blood flow, soak your toes with warm water and place cotton under your toenail if possible to avoid the ingrown nails in your skin. You may take pain relievers with a proper prescription from a doctor.
How do I know if I've broken a bone in my foot?
Bone fractures may bring deformity, swelling, wounds, difficulty when walking and pain.
What happens if a fractured foot is left untreated?
If not treated, fractured feet can cause permanent damage to the nerves causing difficulties such as tingling sensation, difficulty controlling movement, walking and reduced sensitivity that may continue. Other complications may lead to bone infection (for open wounds) and arthritis.
How do you know if you have a torn tendon in your foot?
A torn ligament in the foot includes pain, redness and warmth. The area is often swollen and red after the incident and the pain intensifies when walking or during other physical activities and you may hear a crunchy sound. These injuries make it difficult to put weight on the affected area and weakness.
How long does it take for tendons in the foot to heal?
Healing from tendon injuries may take twelve weeks to months. Remain patient with your treatment and avoid use of the injured area too early on as this can lead to additional injury.
What happens if a fractured foot is left untreated?
A torn tendon or ligament in the foot is painful but typically you can walk on it. But the patient is still advised to avoid excessive walking as much as possible to reduce their risk of severe complications.
Can tendons heal without surgery?
Tendinitis is often caused by early overuse, overtraining, or simple aging. It usually heal on its own, if the condition fails to heal with conservative management, surgery may be required to remove the problem tissue.
What helps tendons heal faster?
Treatment that provides a good blood flow can be a good option to treat an injured tendon. For minor sprain, your doctor will recommend the RICE method. Rest, Ice Pack, Compression and Elevate the part of the injured area.
Do tendons ever fully heal?
Grade one injuries or minor sprains may heal on their own within a few weeks. However, it is recommended to consult with a Podiatrist or Orthopedic Surgeon to observe your condition. If the tendon once injured it has a risk of recurrence or it becomes vulnerable to injury.
Can tendons heal naturally?
Grade one injuries or minor sprains may heal on their own within a few weeks. However, it is recommended to consult with a Podiatrist or Orthopedic Surgeon to observe your condition.