Acute Pain and Injuries Treatment

What You Need To Know

A guide to recognizing acute foot and ankle injuries and knowing when to seek care.

Treating Acute Foot and Ankle Injuries

A foot injury can significantly impact your mobility and your regular level of healthy activity. An injury can affect any of the 26 bones in the foot, as well as its joints, ligaments, muscles, or tendons. Injuries are usually due to overuse or trauma and can include sprains, fractures, and other complications.

Injuries to the intricate structures of the foot can cause inflammation, swelling, pain, inability to bear weight, nerve damage, and hindered mobility. If left untreated, foot injuries can cause issues for the knees, legs, hips, and low back, and may affect your long-term ability to walk, run, or engage in sports.

Common acute injuries include ankle sprains from unnatural twisting or abnormal force on the ligaments and tendons; fractures, which can be stress injuries from overuse or general fractures from trauma; and sesamoid injuries such as turf toe and sesamoiditis, which produce pain beneath the big toe joint. Burns to the foot are another form of acute injury and range from minor scalds to deep wounds that require emergency care.

Symptoms of foot trauma often include piercing or throbbing pain, swelling, bruising, tenderness, difficulty bearing weight, and changes in gait or balance. If symptoms do not improve within a day of rest, or if they worsen, it is time to see a podiatrist. Our team will complete a thorough health history, physical exam, and diagnostic testing to identify the injury and build a treatment plan tailored to you.

Five Common Foot and Ankle Injuries

Achilles tendonitis or tear: The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscles to the bone in the heel. It can suffer damage with overuse, causing pain and inflammation. It can also rupture because of sudden trauma, especially during high impact sports.

Ankle sprain: The ankle joint and bones are held together with ligaments that prevent the feet from moving too far on either side. If a ligament is stretched beyond a point, it can cause a sprain. Sprains may be mild enough to be treated at home with rest, but if they happen often, they can weaken the ankle.

Stress fractures of the foot: Stress fractures occur when pressure is applied on the weak points of the foot. They are common in people with osteoporosis and in older adults who may have weaker, more brittle bones. Athletes who overtrain for sports involving running are also more prone to stress fractures.

Fractures of the ankle: An ankle fracture is usually due to some kind of traumatic injury or impact. The symptoms of a mild ankle fracture can look similar to a severe ankle sprain, so people sometimes delay care. Because ankle fractures are serious, it is better to have any suspected fracture evaluated right away.

Plantar fasciitis: Plantar fasciitis affects the band of tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot. When it becomes inflamed, it can cause heel pain. It can affect anyone but is more common in runners, dancers, and others who overuse the tendon. With prompt diagnosis and the right treatment plan, most patients recover well and return to full activity.