Displaying items by tag: sports injuries

At Superior Foot & Ankle Care Center we’re sure many of our Los Angeles County patients are following the athletes and events connected to the long-awaited Summer Olympics scheduled to take place in Tokyo later this summer. Along with thrilling competition, there’s sure to be some sports injuries such as the one sustained by Canadian shot put thrower, Brittany Crew. Crew was competing in Arizona at the Tucson Elite Classic in May when she suffered a freak accident that resulted in a Grade 2 sprain to her right ankle. When her left foot hit the toe board it slid, unexpectedly shifting all the force to the right ankle. Crew remembers hearing a pop and then her ankle went numb.

Treating Ankle Sprains

Fortunately, Crew is well on the road to recovery, and it looks like she should be in top form to compete in the Olympics. She has, however, decided to sit out the Olympic Trials in order to give her ankle additional time to heal. This wise move exemplifies one of the most important factors in recovering from an ankle injury: not rushing the rehabilitation. Unfortunately, many patients cut physical therapy short once their ankle stops hurting and this leads to the number one cause of repeated ankle sprains which is not recovering fully from an initial sprain. In addition to overstretched ligaments, the muscles that surround and support the ankle need to get stronger and this takes additional time. Other steps to achieving a full recovery include:

• Get medical treatment as soon as possible—ankle sprains require professional assessment. The severity of the sprain may not be obvious to the patient. Sometimes a sprain injury has also caused a fracture. Continuing to walk or play on a sprained ankle can lead to a worse injury. Contact our Long Beach office at (562) 420-9800 office for an appointment as soon as possible after an ankle-twisting injury so that our podiatrists, Victoria M. Foley and Dr. Constance Ornelas, can evaluate your injury and determine the best course of treatment.
• Use RICE—this self-treatment regimen is the best way to control pain and prevent further damage while you await your appointment. It stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.
• Follow the podiatrist’s instructions—you may need to take a break from a favorite sport to allow time to heal, use an ankle brace, or complete other treatment protocols to get back to full and normal use of your ankle but—take it from an Olympic athlete—it’s worth it!

If you follow football you may have heard that Caroline Panthers quarterback, Cam Newton, was put on the disabled list for a Lisfranc injury. While less common than other sports injuries, we at Superior Foot & Ankle Care Center think it’s important to make information about this problem available, especially in the fall since football players are in a high-risk category.

FACT: The Lisfranc joint is located where the long bones of your toes (metatarsals) connect with the bones of the arch of your foot (tarsals). A ligament or tough band of tissue that joins two of these bones is called the Lisfranc ligament.

FACT: Lisfranc injuries can occur in different ways, some of which may occur simultaneously. These include:

• Sprain—overstretching of the Lisfranc or other ligaments in the middle part of the foot
• Fracture—this can be either a full break of a bone in the Lisfranc joint or an avulsion fracture which occurs when a small piece of bone is pulled off
• Dislocation—the bones in the Lisfranc joint are forced out of their normal position

FACT: These types of injuries can happen as the result of trauma, such as a car accident or a heavy object falling on the midfoot, playing football or another contact sport, running or horseback riding. Sometimes, however, it can be caused by something as simple as missing a step on the stairs.

FACT: Signs that you may have injured your Lisfranc joint or ligament include:

• Pain in the midfoot when pressure is applied, like standing
• Swelling
• Bruising or blistering on the arch or top of the foot
• Widening of the foot
• Difficulty bearing weight on the injured foot

FACT: If you notice these types of symptoms, don’t take a “wait and see” approach. Contact our Long Beach office in Douglas Park CA immediately by calling, (562) 420-9800. Our podiatrists, Dr. Victoria M. Foley or Dr. Constance Ornelas will want to examine your foot and will also order x-rays or other imaging studies to determine if the Lisfranc has been injured. In some cases, emergency surgery may be necessary. Otherwise, conservative treatments such as immobilizing the foot with a cast, oral medications and physical therapy can be prescribed.