Athlete Foot Care

During many sports, your feet may have to absorb up to 20 times your body weight. In the United States, approximately 15 % of all sports injuries are foot-related.

Common sports injuries to the feet include:

• Sesamoiditis – manifested by pain beneath the first metatarsal head with weight bearing on the ball of the foot, or with motion at the first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint. Common complaints include pain with jumping and with pushing off to run.

• Turf toe – an acute injury that involves forced hyperdorsiflexion of the first MTP joint as the classic mechanism of injury. This results in a sprain of the first MTP joint. Symptoms include pain and decreased range of motion (ROM) at the MTP joint, along with difficulty running or changing directions.

• Sever disease (e.g., calcaneal apophysitis) – a common cause of acute or chronic heel pain in children during early adolescence. Athletes typically complain of heel pain or soreness that improves with rest and worsens with prolonged running.

• Posterior tibial tendinitis – occurs most commonly as an idiopathic condition in middle-aged females. Athletes with this condition may present with planovalgus deformity and often play sports with sudden stop-start or push-off activity, such as soccer, football, and basketball. Patients typically complain of pain inferior to the medial malleolus and decreased ROM.

• Fifth metatarsal fractures – a common complication with ankle sprains. Three types of fractures occur in the fifth metatarsal: (1) Avulsion fractures off the base commonly occur with ankle sprains, particularly the plantar flexion-inversion variety. (2) Proximal diaphyseal fractures result from repetitive cyclical stress to the foot and typically have a prodromal presentation. (3) Transverse fractures occurring within 1.5 cm from the tuberosity at the metaphyseal-diaphyseal junction. Pain may be diffuse and difficult to localize, depending on the type and location of the fracture.

• Morton neuroma – causes pain over the ball of the foot, followed by radiation of pain to the affected toes. The patient may complain of numbness, tingling, burning, or a sensation similar to an electrical shock. Pain usually eases upon removal of the offending shoes and rubbing the ball of the foot near the affected web space. The information obtained in the history usually reveals the wearing of tight-fitting, high-heeled, or pointed-toed shoes, which are commonly worn by females who are young to middle-aged. Athletes who use a repetitive step-off motion (e.g., sprinters, jumpers, those who regularly use stair steppers or treadmill machines) may complain of these symptoms.

• Stress fractures – patients complain of progressively increasing pain that correlates with a change in activity, footwear, training, playing surface, or equipment. Pain is exacerbated by impact loading and is ameliorated with rest.