Your feet absorb an incredible amount of shock with every step you take. And if you’re overweight, you put your feet under even more stress. Read on to learn how your weight affects your feet and what you can do about foot and heel pain.
Sports and exercise offer a host of benefits for your body. But as any athlete knows, sports injuries happen all the time. Anything from an awkward landing in your last game to undertaking a more rigorous training plan can leave you with pain or an injury in your foot or ankle.
As a sports medicine specialist at Mountain View Foot & Ankle Institute in South Ogden, Utah, David B. Glover, DPM, FACFAS, provides comprehensive care for foot injuries. If you’ve suffered an injury or you’re bothered by ongoing pain, here’s why physical therapy could be a key piece of your recovery plan.
Foot and ankle injuries can be painful, whether you suffer a sudden accident or an injury that develops over time. Your foot may be sore and swollen, and your range of motion may be limited. In more severe cases, you may not be able to bear weight on the affected area.
After an injury, the first step of healing is usually rest, which could include temporarily withdrawing from sports as well as making changes in your daily activities. But, after a period of rest, reintroducing activity is essential to preventing stiffness and loss of ability, and that’s where physical therapy can help.
Physical therapy for sports injury rehabilitation builds strength and helps heal damaged muscles and other soft tissues. Your therapist designs a program based on your fitness level, injury, and even the type of sports you play to help your body heal better.
Through controlled physical therapy exercises, you can:
You perform exercises under your therapist’s supervision, and you also have exercises to complete at home. As you heal, your therapist adjusts your program and slowly adds more and more activities until it’s safe for you to start participating in your favorite sports again.
Physical therapy is a safe way to stay active after suffering an injury. Since it supports your body’s natural healing processes, it can help you get back in the game faster and with less pain.
Some of the most common sports-related foot and ankle injuries we see are:
Dr. Glover diagnoses your condition with an exam and medical imaging as needed. Then, he works with you to develop a treatment plan. Physical therapy is a big part of many treatments, whether your injury is large or small.
Some sports injuries, such as ACL tears and compound fractures, can require surgery. Dr. Glover is a board-certified foot and ankle surgeon, and he can recommend the best course of treatment in these cases. If you need surgery, Dr. Glover repairs the damaged bone, muscle, or tendon, and then he guides you through physical therapy to help you regain strength, mobility, and function.
If you have pain or an injury in your foot or ankle, get the help you need by calling 801-614-2996 or booking an appointment online with Mountain View Foot & Ankle Institute today.
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