When some parts of your body hurt, it’s easy to give them a break so they can heal. But most of us demand a lot of our feet, so they rarely get a break.
While some foot pain might be minor and easily treatable like corns, flat feet, athlete’s foot, or an ingrown toenail, other types of foot injuries can be made worse every time you walk on it.
Check out these common foot injuries that you should never ignore.
Common Foot Injuries
1. Plantar Fasciitis
This is one of the most common foot and ankle injuries. Your facia, which is a strip of tissue along the arch of your foot, can become inflamed. This leads to a sharp pain in the heel.
People who have plantar fasciitis often experience intense pain when stepping down for the first few steps in the morning. And if they sit for a prolonged period of time, they may experience that pain each time they stand up.
Some plantar fasciitis can resolve with icing, rest, and stretching. But if it’s severe, you may need to take anti-inflammatory medication and wear a special heel pad to relieve the symptoms.
2. Achilles Tendonitis
The Achilles tendon is the largest in the human body. It connects the two main calf muscles to the bone in the heel and runs down the back of the ankle. Every time you walk, you use this tendon, so it’s prone to inflammation from overuse and a condition called Achilles tendonitis can occur.
3. Achilles Tear
Inflammation, also known as -itis weakens the tissues as they fill with fluid and become irritated. For this reason, if left untreated, Achilles tendinitis can become an actual Achilles tear.
An Achilles tear is often accompanied by a popping noise and extreme pain in the heel when landing from a jump.
4. Ankle Sprain
A sprain, on the other hand, happens in the ligaments. These connective tissues stabilize and strengthen your joints by binding bones in your foot to other bones. This connectivity keeps the bone from moving too far to one side or the other during activity. But depending on how you use your feet, you can certainly stretch and tear these ligaments. This is called a sprain, and it not only causes ligament pain. It also creates instability between two bones which can cause even more pain.
The most common type of ankle sprain is the high ankle sprain in which the syndesmotic ligament, which travels from the knee to the ankle, is damaged.
Most of the time, the sprain is minor and will resolve itself with rest and ice. But if the pain continues for more than a couple of days, you should seek a doctor’s professional help. Left untreated, a severe sprain can weaken the ankle to the point that it can no longer heal properly. This can lead to chronic inflammation, pain, and increased risk of other injuries.
5. Stress Fractures
These microscopic fractures occur when you apply excessive and repetitive force to an area of the body. They often occur in those who do not give their body appropriate time to rest between intense workout sessions, or even a long walk. Anytime you push your body to its limits, you temporarily weaken connective tissues to the point of exhaustion. If these tissues don’t have proper recovery time, they cannot support your bones, and injury occurs.
Proper recovery is key to increasing strength, endurance, speed, and flexibility. So don’t underestimate its importance.
Learn more Tips to Prevent Foot and Ankle Injury here.