Sports Medicine »
Emphasizing Proper Shoes And Orthoses In Runners
For every foot, there is an athletic shoe that fits correctly. After specializing in sports medicine for over 20 years, I know this is true.
Sports Medicine »
Rethinking Our Approach To Jones Fractures To Facilitate Shorter Post-Op Recovery
If there was a surgical technique that could abbreviate the time it took to achieve clinical and radiographic healing of first metatarsal base osteotomies by three weeks, podiatric physicians would be obligated to investigate. Further, if this new technique afforded superior outcomes in comparison to the existing surgical standard, word would spread quickly to foot surgeons everywhere. Imagine how much more rapidly athletes could bear weight, exercise, go to work or return to their sport.
Sports Medicine »
Practical Pointers On Treating Sever’s Disease In Young Athletes
There are several causes of heel pain in the young athletic population with the most common being calcaneal apophysitis (also referred to as Sever’s disease). Sever first reported calcaneal apophysitis in 1912 as an inflammation of the apophysis, causing discomfort to the heel, mild swelling and difficulty walking in growing children.1
Sports Medicine »
Pertinent Pearls On Treating First MPJ Injuries In Athletes
First metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ) injuries can be both diagnostic and treatment challenges. From an anatomy standpoint, the number of structures that can be injured are numerous. Figuring out what structure(s) (see “A Brief Overview Of First MPJ Structures” at right) are injured can be difficult to assess via physical exam and X-rays, especially in cases in which there is no apparent fracture present. Even with a fracture, these injuries can have corresponding soft tissue injuries that complicate the diagnosis and treatment plan. More often than not, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is necessary to isolate specific structures.
Sports Medicine »
Essential Insights In Treating Medial Ankle Sprains
Ankle sprains are one of, if not the most, common injuries in sports. The incidence of injuries appears to be increasing with the higher number of people participating in athletics through all phases of their lives. It is estimated that 30,000 ankle sprains happen each day.1 Lateral ankle sprains are by far the most common with only 5 to 6 percent of ankle sprains occurring medially.2,3 Medial ankle sprains can be more debilitating and have longer recovery times than lateral sprains.
Sports Medicine »
How To Diagnose And Treat Exercise-Induced Leg Pain
Exercise-induced leg pain can be related to a number of etiologies, some more elusive than others. Differential diagnoses in the workup of exercise-induced leg pain should include musculotendinous injury, exertional compartment syndrome, popliteal artery entrapment syndrome, medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) and stress fracture.
Sports Medicine »
Key Insights On In-Office Shoe Modifications For Athletes
Podiatrists routinely fit patients for diabetic shoes but what about shoes for feet with less severe pathology? What about the patient who is a runner and has a bunion? What do you do when an orthotic causes squeaking in your patient’s shoes and using powder to stop the squeak does not work?
As podiatrists, we can teach our patients easy and fast shoe modifications that can mean the difference between comfort and pain, and solidify your reputation as an expert on all things feet, including shoes.
Sports Medicine »
A Guide To Common Foot And Ankle Golf Injuries
Foot and ankle injuries that happen during golf activities can occur from traumatic events but are more likely to occur from overuse type injuries. Having practiced in a golf resort and retirement community for over 20 years, I have seen many different overuse injuries that could be directly related to the mechanics of the golf swing.
Sports Medicine »
Key Insights On Returning Athletes To Sport After Injury
Athletes are passionate about pushing their bodies to the highest level. The difficulty occurs when this athletic passion runs directly into a fracture, tendon rupture or other potential need for surgery (elective or not). The athlete’s mindset is to keep going and keep pushing forward while our desire is to put on the brakes and give the body the rest it needs to heal.
Sports Medicine »
Identifying And Treating Stress Fractures And Lateral Ankle Sprains In Athletes
As our population gets more and more active, it stands to reason that they will suffer from more and more sports-related injuries.
In the adult population, we see this with the “weekend warrior” types, who have not been conditioned regularly to participate in strenuous activity. Alternately, we may see adult patients who take on an exercise regimen without seeking the proper guidance on how to progress in intensity.
