Sports injury? You have options!

Injuries can happen in the blink of an eye– especially when you’re an athlete. Just ask football player Sammy Watkins. A Jones fracture is keeping the Buffalo Bills’ wide receiver off the field – and off his feet – for at least 8 weeks leading up to preseason and, as a result, shaking up team rapport and fantasy rosters alike. Obviously, foot injuries can occur in any sport. The Yankees’ Bryan Mitchell is also having foot troubles. The pitcher was diagnosed with turf toe and a fractured sesamoid bone in his left foot following a spring training game in March. Those injuries will keep him out of play until at least August. Basketball players, too, suffer foot injuries. Several players from the Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors had their feet emerged in ice during playoffs, as they dealt with everything from torn plantar fascias to sore ankles.

Of course, these are just a few examples of how traumatic sports injuries can alter plans for players. Sports-related foot pains impact numerous people each year. Whether you play professionally, as a student, or on your neighborhood rec team, if you are an athlete, there is a chance that at some point you will take a fall, get hit or otherwise make a wrong move that lands you in the doctor’s office. When that happens, it’s important to work with a specialist who can get you back on track to play as quickly as possible.

While the R.I.C.E.(rest, ice, compression, elevation) method and over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers might help immediately after an injury, final diagnosis should always be left to a professional. Evaluating the damage with advanced technologies, such as X-rays, ultrasounds and fluoroscopy, paints a complete picture of the injury and helps in the development of a proper treatment plan. At Country Foot Care, we pride ourselves in creating personalized, case-by-case care and management strategies for patients –and we’re fully credentialed with Winthrop University Hospital and Day-Op Surgical Center of Long Island to help carry out those plans in a trusted health care facility.

Depending on the severity of the damage to your body, you may need surgery. The type of procedure will depend on the cause of injury, but no matter, it will likely require weeks of recovery. Still, in some cases, healing might be as simple as the administration of the right innovative conservative therapies, such as shockwave and coldlaser therapy, which work effectively on a variety of conditions. Our staff also places an emphasis on physical therapy and stretching exercises to alleviate pain and strengthen injury sites. In some cases, custom orthotics  may be the right choice (we like to think of them as eye glasses for the feet!) to correct underlying biomechanical imbalances.

At first, getting hurt might seem like the end of the world—or at least your athletic dreams. But, with the right diagnosis, treatment and healing time, it is possible to get back on your feet and back in the game.