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All these sports require
miles of running -- with quick stops and starts -- per
game. Competition is usually on grass fields, which "give"
so players may change direction quickly. It also provides
a soft landing surface on which to crash.
Injuries are inevitable in contact sports. The lower
extremities -- an athlete's steering, accelerator, and
braking systems-- are particularly susceptible. But with
proper conditioning, equipment, and technique, competitors
in contact sports have successful, healthy playing
seasons.
Podiatric physicicans, specialists in care of the lower
extremity, not only treat injuries athletes and get them
back into competition as soon as safely possible, but also
help athletes get into a condition that minimizes their
risk of injury to the foot and ankle.
Preventing 'Overuse'
Injuries
The time a football, soccer, or lacrosse player spends
in an actual game represents only a tiny fraction of time
spent in practice, conditioning for competition. Practice
involves hours of running, repetitive drills, and
scrimmages every day.
While conditioning excercises in practice will strenghthen
and improve flexibility in the lower extremity, the
repeated stress of practice may bring on chronic, or
"overuse" injuries. These injuries can nag at a player and
hamper, if not end, a season of competition.
Overuse injuries also come from faulty biomechanics of the
feet -- how the lower extremity physically adjusts to the
ground. If an athlete has "flat" feet, which tend to
pronate (out-toe) or excessively high arches, which often
supinate (in-toe), extensive running and cutting can
produce chronically strained ankles.
Before taking the practice field, it's wise to be examined
by a podiatric physician specializing in sports medicine,
who will identify any biomechanical abnormalities that
increase the chance of injury. The podiatrist may
recommend specific excercises to strengthen and improve
flexibility of the foot and ankle, or recommend taping or
padding of the foot or ankle before practice and
competition. A podiatrist may also prescribe orthoses,
customized shoe inserts that correct biomechanical
problems by redistributing the body's weight.
Podiatric physicians say proper stretching and warmup
before and after home workouts, practice, and before games
go far to prevent overuse injuries to the supporting
structures of the lower extremity. Warm-up and cool-down
exercises should take 5-10 minutes and should be conducted
in a stretch/hold/relax pattern, without any bouncing or
pulling. When muscles are properly warmed up, the strain
on muscles, tendons, and joints is reduced.
Crashes, Bumps and
Bruises
Football players, who today more than ever combine
size with speed, experience high-impact collision on
virtually every play. Lacrosse players "check" much like
hockey players, but wear thin pads on the arms and
shoulders. Rugby players wear no padding at all. Though
technically soccer is not a contact sport, players of any
age will tell you that high speed collisions, kicks in the
shin, and body contact happens all the time.
The foot and ankle bear the brunt of the crashes, bumps,
and bruises of contacts sports. Feet get stepped on,
kicked, jammed, twisted, and cut. Quick changes in
direction and hard tackling can lead to sprains and
fractures of the ankle.
Impact, or "trauma injuries are more serious than overuse
injuries, and require recovery time away from the practice
and game field. Immediate treatment should include the
"RICE" formula: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.
Trauma injuries should always be treated by a medical
professional such as a podiatrist, and be fully healed
before returning to the field. Players who lie about how
an injury feels, or take pain-killers to play through a
trauma injury, are not helping their team by doing so, but
rather putting themselves in danger of aggravated or
permanent injury.
Footwear
Cleats are the footwear of choice for all contacts
sports down to the youth leagues. Cleats are generally
safe for young ankles, say podiatrists. Cleats should be
light and flexibile, and always fit properly. Uppers
should be supple (no hand-me-downs, please), and there
should be, and at least a finger's width should separate
the tip of the big toe and the end of the shoe. Laces
should be tight.
When shopping for cleats, wear the same style of socks you
intend to wear in competition. Shop in the afternoon, when
the feet are naturally slightly swollen. Investing in
proper footwear for a young athlete is much less expensive
than medical treatment later.
Artificial Turf
Contact sports are sometimes played on artificial
turf, which presents a new set of concerns for an athlete.
Some surfaces simulate the texture of grass, and others
are little more than carpet. All forms of artificial
surface are harder than grass, and make for speeded-up
competition. Cross-training shoes or sneakers are the
footwear of choice on artificial turf.
Because the surfaces do not "give" like grass, playing on
them may be more hazardous to the lower extremity. Players
should be well-familiarized with the dynamics of running
and changing direction on "turf" before competing on that
surface.
Trainers and physicians frequently tape the feet and
ankles of their players for added stability, especially on
artificial turf. Proper taping can help prevent injuries
from occurring, and keep a minor injury from becoming a
major one.
Injuries and Treatments
Keeping the lower extremity healthy is so important to
an athlete that most all professional football and soccer
teams have a team podiatrists, who treats minor problems
like corns, calluses, and blisters, to major injuries like
fractures and dislocations. These are the most common
injuries suffered in contact sports:
Turf Toe. Turf toe is a painful jam or
hyperextension of the big toe. The condition is more
common on artificial turf, but can happen on grass as
well. Immediate treatment includes the RICE regimen, and
wearing a stiffer shoe prevents aggravation of the injury.
Splinting the toe or special orthoses can also help.
Ankle Sprains. Making contact on a firmly planted
ankle can forcibly invert the joint and damage ligaments,
resulting in a sprain. Immediate treatment using the RICE
formula to reduce swelling is important to quick healing.
Any sprain that doesn't show improvement in three days
should be checked by a podiatric or family physician.
Stress Fractures. There are two distinct kinds of
fractures that require vastly different treatment. Stress
fractures are incomplete cracks in bone caused by overuse.
Stress fractures heal with complete rest. Extra padding in
shoes helps prevent
Fractures. Fractures are more serious injuries that
require immediate medical attention. Casting and sometimes
surgery is required to immobilize fractures and set
breaks. Requiring 10-12 weeks for rehabilitation, a
fracture or a break essentially ends a season of
competition in any contact sport.
Tips
-
Pay attention to injury.
Don't play hurt.
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Don't let children use
running shoes for contact sports. Wear sport specific
shoes.
-
Warm up properly. Condition
yourself safely in the off season.
Your podiatric physician/surgeon has been trained
specifically and extensively in the diagnosis and
treatment of all manners of foot conditions. This training
encompasses all of the intricately related systems and
structures of the foot and lower leg including
neurological, circulatory, skin, and the musculoskeletal
system, which includes bones, joints, ligaments, tendons,
muscles, and nerves. |
