Sports Medicine Specialist

What Is Sports Medicine?

Like any injury rehabilitation that aims to heal, promote total recovery, and prevent injury recurrence, sports medicine uses a combination of targeted treatment strategies to help athletes and other highly active individuals recover safely, quickly, and effectively.

Sports medicine covers many different aspects of care, ranging from exercise physiology and physical therapy to biomechanics and lifestyle considerations. This comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach is designed to help athletes reach a level of mobility and functionality that allows them to return to their sport and continue to excel.

What Are Considered Standard Foot And Ankle Sports Injuries?

Most activities place a high amount of stress or strain on your lower body joints, particularly your knees, ankles, and feet. Some common sports injuries that affect the foot/ankle complex include:

Plantar Fasciitis

Your plantar fascia provides flexible, shock-absorbing support to the arch of your foot. When it’s under excess stress or tension, it can develop tiny surface tears that irritate and weaken the fascia, causing inflammation and significant heel pain.

Athletes with poor posture or alignment issues that place uneven stress on their feet are more likely to develop plantar fasciitis. Deconditioned athletes that push themselves too hard too fast are also prone to the condition.

Achilles Tendonitis

Your Achilles Tendon is a tight band of fibrous tissue that connects the lower part of your calf muscle with your heel bone. It’s routinely under pressure because it helps provide power to push off when you’re walking, running, or jumping.  

As an overuse injury, Achilles Tendonitis commonly occurs in runners who suddenly increase the intensity or duration of their training. It’s also common among weekend warriors or athletes who play intense sports like tennis or soccer but only once or twice a week.

Sprains, Strains, and Fractures

Any sprain or twist of the soft tissues in your foot/ankle complex can cause immediate pain that requires prompt attention. In some cases, a presumed sprain turns out to be a bone fracture. Jammed toes that bruise, swell, and remain painful for days may be broken.

If you play soccer, football, or other sports that require quick pivoting, you’re more prone to sprains and strains, while runners, dancers and other athletes who subject their joints to constant impacts are more susceptible to stress fractures.  

Why Is It Important To Seek Early Treatment For Sports Injuries?

Initial treatment for any acute foot, heel, or ankle injury includes protection, rest, ice, compression, and elevation. If your pain doesn’t improve or worsens within 72 hours, or if your injury causes weakness or mild discomfort that persists longer than two weeks, it’s important to seek prompt care from Dr. Coletta.

Having a thorough foot exam as soon as possible helps evaluate your foot, ankle, and toe strength, your range of motion, and your neurological responses. If Dr. Coletta suspects you have a bone fracture, she’ll use X-ray imaging to confirm her diagnosis.

If the problem seems to be in your soft tissues, you may recommend an MRI or CT scan to determine the exact nature and severity of your injury.

To learn more about Dr. Coletta’s comprehensive approach to treating sports injuries, call or schedule an appointment online today.