Adam Wainwright sustained an Achilles tendon injury this past Saturday that will most likely sideline him for the rest of the season. The St. Louis Cardinal stated “I thought I got hit by something. If you look at the replay, I get out of the box and I looked back to think the catcher’s mask must of hit me or the bat must’ve hit me, something must’ve hit me.” He is scheduled to undergo an MRI today to fully evaluate the extent ohis injury.

For athletes, whether competitive or recreational, injuries to the the Achilles Tendon can not only take you out of the immediate action but could become a long term, nagging injury that never seems to be totally healed.  Along with Wainwright, other prominent athletes who have recently recovered from or are still rehabbing Achilles Tendons injuries include:

1. San Antonio Spur’s star Tony Parker has been playing the Spur’s first round playoff series against the LA Clippers with tightness in his Achilles Tendon.
2. British marathon legend Paula Radcliffe who ran in her last London Marathon after recovering from an Achilles Tendon injury that occurred in training after missing the 2012 London Olympics due to another foot-related injury.
3. Sporting Kansas City FC’s Ike Opara, part of what is considered the MLS’s best center-back partnerships, ruptured his Achilles Tendon, his second season-ending injury in as many years.
4. Former Olympic champion Liu Xiang, China’s first Gold Medalist in Olympic Track & Field, recently retired at the age of 31 due to a spate of injuries over the last few years including a ruptured Achilles Tendon that occurred while rehabbing from reconstructive surgery for another injury.

The Achilles tendon is a strong fibrous cord that connects the muscles in the back of your calf to your heel bone. If you overstretch your Achilles tendon, it can tear (rupture) completely or just partially. If your Achilles tendon ruptures, you might feel a pop or snap, followed by an immediate sharp pain in the back of your ankle and lower leg that is likely to affect your ability to walk properly. If you or someone you know is suffering from Achilles pain or sustained an Achilles tendon injury please contact our expert physicians at Country Foot Care.

Custom orthotics are used to help people with a multitude of foot & ankle problem, which help to make everyday activities that much easier and healthier.  But what about athletes?

Most sports requires some type of specialized shoe, whether they are cleats for soccer, ice skates for hockey or running shoes for….well, running!  Most of the shoes on the market that are designed for specific sports often offer a modified support to deal with the type of activity and how it affects the feet.  As these are being mass-produced, the support that is built in is generic based on the common needs of everyone.

If you are a serious athlete, whether still in school or as an adult participating at an amateur level, you can do better.  Professional athletes have the financial ability, usually covered by their team, to have custom-made shoes for their individual needs and foot structure.  For non-professional athletes, short of laying out a lot of money, the option most go with are commercial orthotic devices that can be purchased at the local grocery store or CVS.  This is where custom orthotics come into play.

Custom orthotics are inserts that are fabricated using a cast of your feet, creating a mold that follows the contours of your feet from heel to toe.  From this mold the orthotics is crafted so that it will easily slip into whatever shoes you will be wearing whether you’re working or participating in sports. Custom orthotics provides better support, helping you to maintain the best possible posture and balance. Beyond the performance aspect of custom orthotics, another benefit is that by helping athletes reduce the likelihood of injuries to the feet, legs and back that can be influenced by the way you walk and run. The graphic below offers just a few of these injuries that can be avoided or alleviated through the use of custom orthotics:

While still expensive, most insurance plans will cover the cost of a pair of orthotics with the patient paying a much smaller cost. If paying completely out of pocket, patients should expect to pay a larger cost but depending on where you get your custom orthotics made can dictate the price.

Country Foot Care can help athletes and anyone looking to build a healthy body on a strong foundation of healthy feet.  Along with custom orthotics, we have a wide variety of specialty footwear for work and play available through our onsite Medical Shoe Store in our Mineola, NY office.  Additionally, we have a licensed pedorthist on staff if you need to have custom shoes made.

Like all doctors, we find ourselves on the receiving end of many questions but it is often the ones that aren’t asked that can be the most important.  For example, one day last week, my final patient of the morning asked me when he should replace his running sneakers.  Everyone has a favorite pair of sneakers that fit like a glove – soft, warm and well worn out.  But by keeping those old shabby sneakers around, you may be sacrificing health for comfort when you really should strive for both.

Replacing your running or other exercise shoes can help prevent injuries like tendonitis, stress fractures, and plantar fasciitis from developing.  Many athletes develop tendonitis along the outside of the foot and ankle from improper wear of their shoes, along their peroneal tendons.   These peroneal tendons are the primary tendons that allow the foot to “pronate” or turn outward.

Runners or people that perform repetitive motion with their feet while working out have a tendency to over-use the muscle groups that serve the feet and ankles.  This overuse causes an inflammation to the tendons and you develop “peroneal tendinitis.” If you are noticing an unfamiliar pain in the outside regions of your feet and ankles, take a quick look at the bottom of your sneakers. Are the outsides of the heel worn down to the point where your shoe is no longer flat?  That may be the very reason why you’ve developed peroneal tendonitis, and it’s time to replace your sneakers.

For runners, the golden rule is to replace your shoes every 500 miles but if you’re putting in heavy mileage, it may be sooner than 500 miles.  For the average athlete replacing your sneakers every 6-8 months is adequate, depending on how often and how hard you train.

We at Country Foot Care can evaluate your sneakers and other shoes for wear and suggest a shoe model that will support your active lifestyle.  Our Medical Shoe Store in our Mineola and Williston Park locations carry a wide array of athletic shoes which are not only supportive and stylish but also accommodate custom fabricated orthotics.