Spring into Action: How to Prevent Common Foot and Ankle Injuries

Foot and ankle injuries are among the most common types of injuries, but there are ways you can prevent them. 

This spring, as you become more active in the warm weather, our board-certified podiatrists at Chicagoland Foot and Ankle want you to know about how to prevent the most common and easily avoidable foot and ankle injuries.

Here are a number of the most common foot and ankle injuries and ways you can keep your lower extremities safe.

Plantar fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is a common foot injury that leads to heel pain. The plantar fascia is a band of tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot, from your heel bone to the base of your toes. It helps to support your foot’s arch and helps your foot push off when walking.

The tissue can become inflamed due to overuse, causing characteristic heel pain, especially when you first get up in the morning. The inflammation can be the result of:

• Increasing activity (e.g., running) too quickly
• Increasing the amount of activity you do
• Standing, walking, or running on hard surfaces for long periods
• Being overweight or obese, which puts pressure on the tissue

You can prevent plantar fasciitis by gradually increasing the duration and intensity of your activities, wearing well-cushioned shoes tailored to your sport that support your arch and heel, and by doing exercises to stretch the fascia and strengthen the arch muscles.

For example, while sitting, grasp your toes and gently pull them toward you until you feel a stretch in the arch.

Ankle sprains

The ankle is the joint where the lower leg bones (tibia and fibula) meet the foot bone (talus). Ligaments surround the joint to bind the bones together and help stabilize the ankle, and the whole joint works to distribute your weight so you maintain balance. 

The ligaments also work with the calf muscles to help you stand, walk, climb, and jump.

One of the most common foot and ankle injuries is an ankle sprain, when you overstretch or tear the joint’s ligaments. Most of the time this occurs when the ankle rolls outward, landing on the outer edge of the foot. This is known as an inversion sprain. 

It’s also possible to roll the ankle inward, in which case you have an eversion sprain.

Sprains are common in contact sports during which you need to jump and/or pivot frequently, and when you’re walking over uneven ground.

You can help protect against sprains in a number of ways.

The first is to strengthen the calf muscles by doing heel raises. And you can up the intensity by doing them one leg at a time instead of both together.

The second is to strengthen side movement. Two muscle groups in the ankle handle side-to-side movement: the invertors, which twist the toes inward, and the evertors, which twist the toes outward. 

To better stabilize your ankles, you need to strengthen both invertors and evertors regularly. A good way is to use resistance bands while moving the toes from side to side.

The third is to stretch the lower calf muscles to help stabilize the ankle. In the soleus stretch, you place your hands on a wall, take a step back with one foot, and bend both knees until you feel a stretch in the lower part of the back calf.

Neuromas

A neuroma, such as Morton’s neuroma, feels like you’re walking on a pebble. Neuromas are the result of compressed nerves between the toes and refer pain to the toes and to the ball of the foot.

You can prevent neuromas from developing by wearing low-heeled shoes that have a roomy toe box and, when participating in sports, wearing well-supported shoes designed specifically for the sport you’re doing.

Stress fractures

Stress fractures can develop when you overdo a high-impact activity such as running, dancing, or playing basketball. Overworked muscles transfer stress to the bone, which develops a small, hairline crack that can be very painful. 

Such fractures most often occur in the second and third metatarsals in the foot and generally heal with 6-8 weeks of rest.

But you can prevent the fractures from forming in the first place by performing a proper warmup before your activity and easing off with an appropriate cooldown. As with plantar fasciitis, it also helps to increase the amount and duration of activity slowly, allowing your body to acclimate to the increased load.

Do you want more tips on how to prevent common foot and ankle injuries? At Chicagoland Foot and Ankle, we can help. 

Call any of our locations (Mount Greenwood and Portage Park areas of Chicago, as well as Orland Park, Bartlett, Niles, and New Lenox, Illinois) to schedule a consultation, or book your appointment online today.