The burden that sport places on the lower limb and foot is immense. Each sport will have its own conditions and problems that may lead to injury specific to that particular sport.
Many sports involve running and the wearing of sports shoes – both areas where we have excellent knowledge and experience. The foot and leg must be strong, flexible and aligned. With the increased speeds and forces placed through the lower limb in sports injuries such as Ilio-tibial band syndrome, runners knee /patella-femoral syndrome, calf strain, Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, recurrent ankle sprain, stress fractures are some of the many injuries encountered playing sports.
Following our PTE goal, we will diagnose, discover the cause and formulate a treatment programme (see treatment section) and advise on the prevention of further problems.
We can treat most lower leg and foot injuries but, in doing so, we also suggest ways to:
- Accelerate recovery to full fitness
- Reduce pain
- Restore the balance of your natural gait
Strains, muscle, ligament and tendon tears are very common injuries.
You can often deal with them yourself by applying an ice pack to the affected area, bandaging it and putting your leg up. This should reduce the inflammation and swelling. Then start gentle exercising to bring strength back to the area. Do not be impatient!
For more serious problems, make an appointment to see us. We may use anti-inflammatory drugs, orthoses or other means to help you recover.
Overuse and repetitive stress caused by excessive training, especially running, can cause:
- A lateral pain in the knee – Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
- A sharp pain, burning sensation between calf and ankle – Achilles Tendinitis
- A pain in the heel – Plantar Faciitis
- A pain at the front of the lower leg – Shin Splints
- A pain on the outer side of the knee – Iliotibial Band Syndrome
- A pain, tenderness and swelling at exacerbated by exercise – Stress Fractures
- Tenderness under the foot and/or the outside edge – Peroneal Tendon Injury