What is Sports Podiatry?

Maintaining healthy feet and legs is a must-have for anyone, but especially for athletes.

 

Whether you’re an avid runner or your child plays high school football, being active is a wonderful way to stay fit and healthy. While sports have its obvious advantages, there are also some cons to these otherwise fun activities. Sometimes injuries occur during the heat of the game and you need someone to turn to who can help treat your foot, ankle or leg problems. That’s where your Nashville sports podiatrist comes in.

 

We offer a full range of podiatric treatments in Nashville, so we treat everything from Achilles tendonitis and sprains to Athlete’s foot, bunions and fractures. When you come in with a sports-related injury, the first thing we will do is run certain physical tests to check your lower limb function and to see where your pain originates. We will check your posture and alignment and determine if there are any structural imbalances. We will also obtain proper imaging to assist in diagnosing your problem (i.e. x-rays, MRI, CT Scan). From there we will provide you with a diagnosis and treatment plan.

 

Since there are some many different diagnoses, it’s difficult to tell you exactly what treatment would work best for you and your foot problems; however, here are some of the standard rules of treatment that we tend to follow:

Check your shoes: make sure your athletic shoes have good support and fit properly. If you’re involved in high-impact sports, you want a shoe that can really provide sturdy protection for your ankles and feet so they don’t take a beating.

 

A good rule of thumb for runners: most athletic tennis shoes begin to break down around the 300 to 400-mile mark. For other athletes, examine the outsoles of your shoes. If they are starting to smooth over, they are losing their tread. That means it’s time to get a new pair!

 

Condition your body: Even if your sport isn’t in season, it’s important to still keep your body strong and flexible. This means participating in pre-season conditioning so that you don’t risk injury the next time you start playing again.

 

Always warm-up: You should always warm up for about 5 to 10 minutes before getting on the field. This includes a low level of cardiovascular exercise that mimics the movements of your chosen sport.

 

Use proper equipment: Besides shoes, it’s important that you have the proper protective gear for your sport. This includes helmets, padding and face masks. Make sure these items aren’t worn, cracked or broken. They should be in pristine condition if you expect them to provide the best protection.

 

If you’re an athlete worried about aches and pains, then give our Nashville office a call. We know what to do to get you back on your feet and back in the game.

 

Are you a patient of Foot & Ankle Specialists of Nashville? If so, we would love to hear about your experiences below!