Common Overuse Injuries in Your Feet
We are on our feet daily. Constantly plodding back and forth from one place or another, getting in our routine early morning jog, heading up the same flight of stairs to work, shooting our weekly game of hoops with our friends. All this repeated wear and tear can be more destructive than we realize. Overuse of your feet can contribute to a mobility-limiting chronic pain that can cross these activities off your list for good. While overuse injuries typically afflict athletes, anyone can push their feet past their limits to painful results.
Common Issues
Here are some common foot and ankle injuries caused by overuse:
- Heel pain – Plantar fasciitis is often the result of overworking your feet. Excessive or repeated stress on your plantar fascia, the fibrous tissue that connects your heel to your toes, can cause great pain.
- Stress Fractures – Stress fractures are tiny hair-like breaks in the bones of your foot. These usually occur in the heel bone from repeated hard impacts, like jumping during a basketball game or running on a tough surface. Get them checked out because they can lead to larger breaks if not treated.
- Achilles Tendonitis – The Achilles tendon joins your calf and heel allowing smooth walking, running, and jumping. Repeated strains can cause micro-tears or degeneration in the tendon.
- Ankle Sprain – When you accidentally stretch or tear the ligaments or tendons around the ankle from a swift twist or roll, it is called an ankle sprain. This can happen from any repeated activity and must be assessed by a professional podiatrist.
Don’t’ take everyday activities on your feet for granted; overuse can wear your feet down and cause injury. If you are suffering from an injury due to overuse, it’s important to get it checked out early so that you receive the proper treatment. Treatment depends on the injury and your unique feet. Stay off the injured foot or ankle until you can visit a podiatrist.
Here at Maple Springs Foot Center, our knowledgeable podiatrist, Dr. Stuart Snyder, can help assess and treat any foot or ankle injuries you have sustained. To make an appointment, head to our website or call our conveniently located office in Gaithersburg, MD at 301-762-3338.
