Podiatric health affects your sports performance and overall well-being. Ensuring that your feet and ankles are in top shape is essential to maintaining an active lifestyle. Whether you’re an athlete or simply enjoy regular physical activity, your feet and ankles are the real MVPs. Not only do they bear a significant portion of your body weight, but they help facilitate nearly every move you make, impacting balance, agility, and speed.
Whether you’re training for the Detroit Marathon or coaching youth soccer in Ford Field Park, foot and ankle injuries can threaten to stop you in your tracks.
Don’t let a sports injury sideline you from the activities you love.
Michigan Foot & Ankle Specialists diagnose, treat, and prevent foot and ankle sports injuries. Our Dearborn podiatrist, Dr. Alexander Thomas, and multi-lingual team understand the importance of a quick and effective recovery. We provide comprehensive care that addresses the immediate injury, as well as any underlying issues that might contribute to future problems. Dr. Thomas combines expert care with advanced therapies and personalized treatment plans to help athletes and other active patients stay on their feet and in the game.
What to Know About the Podiatric Sports Injuries We Treat
Sports-related foot and ankle injuries generally fall into two categories: acute and overuse. At our Dearborn podiatry office, we treat both acute and overuse sports injuries.
Acute Sports Injuries
Acute injuries happen suddenly, often during quick direction changes, awkward landings, or direct impact. We regularly treat acute injuries like:
- Ankle sprains. Quick cutting movements, landing wrong, or missteps on uneven terrain can stretch or tear the ligaments supporting the ankle, causing pain, swelling, bruising, and ankle instability. Without proper treatment, ankle sprains can lead to chronic instability that increases your re-injury risk.
- Broken bones. Sudden direct impact during play can cause complete fractures that require extensive treatment and recovery time.
- Turf toe. Common among athletes who participate in sports played on artificial turf, this injury affects the big toe joint and can significantly impact your ability to push off when running or jumping. Without proper care, turf toe can cause chronic joint issues that affect athletic performance.
Overuse Sports Injuries
Caused by repetitive motions or overexertion, overuse injuries happen gradually over time. We treat a wide range of overuse-related sports injuries, including:
- Achilles tendinitis. Overuse or intense physical activity can inflame the Achilles tendon, resulting in pain and stiffness along the back of the ankle. This is particularly noticeable in the morning or when resuming activity after resting. Achilles tendinitis is common among runners, dancers, and athletes who play sports that require sudden bursts of activity, such as basketball or tennis. Early treatment helps prevent Achilles tendinitis from becoming chronic or leading to tendon rupture, a serious condition requiring surgical intervention.
- Plantar fasciitis. A leading cause of heel pain, plantar fasciitis is caused by inflammation of the band of tissue that runs across the bottom of the foot, connecting the heel bone and toes. This condition is common among runners and people who stand for long periods and causes sharp, stabbing pain in the heel, especially when taking those first few steps in the morning. Left untreated, plantar fasciitis can lead to chronic heel pain and changes in walking patterns.
- Stress fracture. These tiny cracks form on a bone’s surface due to repetitive force or overuse. Common among participants of sports that involve running and jumping, these fractures present symptoms such as swelling, tenderness, and pain that intensify with activity and ease with rest. Without professional care, stress fractures can progress to complete breaks.
Understanding the Importance of an Accurate Diagnosis
An accurate diagnosis allows us to develop an effective treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. Our Dearborn podiatry team utilizes various diagnostic methods to accurately assess each patient, including:
- Physical examination. Dr. Thomas conducts a thorough physical exam, evaluating your injury for swelling, bruising, or deformity and assessing the affected area’s range of motion, strength, and stability.
- Imaging. We use X-rays, MRI, and other imaging technology to better visualize your foot or ankle injury. X-rays help us identify fractures and dislocations, while MRIs provide detailed images of soft tissues, such as ligaments, tendons, and muscles, helping us diagnose injuries like torn ligaments and conditions like tendinitis.
- Biomechanical assessments. We analyze your body movements and mechanics to identify weaknesses, imbalances, or misalignments that contributed to your podiatric sports injury. This helps us understand the underlying causes and develop a treatment plan that addresses the injury and prevents future occurrences.
Exploring Our Modern Approach to Podiatric Sports Injuries Care
Our Dearborn foot and ankle experts are committed to providing the most effective care while minimizing downtime and promoting a speedy recovery. We offer wide-ranging treatments for sports injuries, from conservative methods to advanced approaches.
Conservative Treatments
- RICE protocol. Rest, ice, compression, and elevation, or RICE, is a first-line treatment for foot or ankle sports injuries. Rest allows the injured area to heal, while ice helps reduce pain and inflammation, and compression and elevation minimize swelling.
- Physical therapy. Our PT plans include stretching and strengthening exercises to restore function and prevent injury recurrence.
- Custom orthotics. We use 3D scanning technology to create custom orthotics that provide precise support and cushioning for your specific sport and foot structure.
Advanced Therapies
When conservative treatments are insufficient, we offer advanced interventions that harness the body’s natural processes to promote faster recovery. These include:
- MLS laser therapy. This non-invasive treatment uses specialized light energy to reduce inflammation, relieve pain, and promote tissue repair. MLS laser therapy is particularly effective in treating stress fractures and conditions like Achilles tendinitis and plantar fasciitis.
- PRP injections. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy concentrates platelets and other healing factors in a sample of your blood, then injects it into the tissue at the injury site to encourage prompt repair.
Getting You Back in the Game With Return-to-Play Protocols That Put Your Health and Safety First
Proper sports injury treatment and management can be the difference between a quick recovery and long-term complications threatening to derail your athletic ambitions or active lifestyle. At Michigan Foot & Ankle Specialists, we design our post-injury rehabilitation programs to restore foot and ankle function, strength, and mobility, tailoring your plan to your medical, sport-specific, and lifestyle needs. Our rehabilitation and return-to-play protocols include:
- Rehabilitation exercises. These exercises focus on strengthening the affected area and improving flexibility. Dr. Thomas and our team provide demonstrations and informational packets to ensure proper technique.
- Stretching routines. Specific stretches help restore range of motion and prevent stiffness. We emphasize the importance of stretching regularly as part of the rehabilitation process.
- Return-to-play protocols. Gradual reintroduction to activity is crucial to prevent re-injury. We tailor your protocol based on your progress and sport-specific requirements, ensuring a safe and effective return to activity.
Examining Our Injury Prevention Strategies
Preventing podiatric sports injuries is just as important as treating them. We provide practical tips and advice to help athletes and active patients stay injury-free, including:
- Warm-up and stretching. We create proper warm-up and stretching routines to prepare your muscles and joints for activity and reduce your injury risks.
- Footwear selection. Choosing the right shoes for your sport and foot type is essential. Dr. Thomas can recommend footwear that provides support and cushioning to prevent injuries.
- Training modifications. Adjusting training intensity and duration can help you avoid overuse injuries. We recommend gradually increasing your activity levels and incorporating rest days into your routine.
- Sports and activities-based recommendations. For high-impact sports like running and basketball, we suggest specific preventive measures, such as strengthening exercises for the lower legs and wearing supportive footwear. For low-impact activities like swimming and cycling, we focus on helping patients maintain foot and ankle strength and flexibility through targeted stretches and exercises.