Are you an active person? Do you love outdoor games?
If both answers are yes, you probably engage in physical sports frequently. Even if that’s not possible, at least you break some sweat with your regular workout, walking, or jogging regimen. Good habits indeed. As prevention is better than cure, it is always wise to stay active to fight off the hazards of a sedentary lifestyle i.e. diabetes, hypertension, cardiac problems, obesity, etc which have been growing steadily, almost growing into modern epidemics respectively.
We highly appreciate your positive attitude towards a fit body and healthy mind. But too much of everything is bad. For example, excessive physical exertion and inadequate rest or nutrition can certainly lead to various health issues. Also, you can not ignore that most physical games and outdoor sports also come with the risk of injuries.
So it is also important to take care of yourself and maintain a proper healing regimen to stay fit longer!
This is where the sports podiatrist comes into the scene.
Keep reading until the end to know why, when, and how you must visit a professional sports podiatrist.
Who’s a sports podiatrist anyway?
As the name suggests, Latin podia stand for “foot,” and a podiatrist is the man who takes care of your weary feet.
Now sports podiatry is a clinical specialty branch of Pain medicine and rehabilitation, aka sports medicine, that deals with treating and diagnosing various diseases in feet and lower limbs, including musculoskeletal and neural structures. As through the neurovascular channels, these lower extremities are well connected functionally and structurally to the structures in the waist, hip, and back, which shares a large number of common disease. Thus sports podiatrists often take care of these regions too.
Can’t I just visit my orthopedic doctor instead?
If you’ve read this far and pondered why and how sports podiatrists are any different than your regular orthopedics doctor, then let us clarify: orthopedics is all about treating the musculoskeletal system (injuries, fractures, etc.) in regular people. Still, active sportspersons need something better, something enhanced to help them prevent repeated injuries and heal wounds quickly in case they happen. This is because sportspersons are far more exposed and vulnerable to serious limb damage than ordinary men.
A Sports podiatrist is a professional doctor trained extensively in managing sports injuries in the lower extremities.
They can also help a regular person suffering from chronic pain for years.
When do I need to visit a sports podiatrist?
1. Ankle sprain
The ankle is one of the important joints in our body. Several strong tendons and ligaments help to facilitate proper foot movement and walking. Injuries like ankle sprains are mostly muscular that require immediate attention.
2. Foot fractures
Almost one-fourth of your total body bones are packed inside the foot skeleton. Therefore, if you’re an athlete, frequently walk on uneven surfaces, or recently experienced foot trauma, there might be a good chance of a foot fracture. Throbbing pain, immobility of leg and foot joints, inability to walk, immediate swelling, bruising, etc., are definite danger signs of a probable fracture.
3. Achilles tendon injury
The Achilles tendon is the strongest in our body, attaching to the Gastrocnemius calf muscle. It is the one that acts like an axis along which the musculoskeletal system in the feet is held in integration and moved rhythmically. Therefore, injury to the Achilles tendon will immediately render the feet immobile.
4. Cold extremities
This can be a sign called Reynaud’s phenomenon that denotes poor circulation. This early symptom indicates serious underlying pathologies like cardiac failure, stroke, morbid hypertension, etc.
5. Athletes
If you’re a long-distance runner who frequently runs over uneven country roads or a powerlifter who regularly puts monstrous weights and stress on the lower extremities, there would be a good chance to get your feet injured. Have checkups in regular intervals to take care at the earliest.
Apart from these obvious reasons, you might like to take an expert opinion in situations like diabetes mellitus, long-term walking, and gait problems, weird skin discoloration in feet, etc. Additionally, sports medicine professionals can assist you in determining when it’s the right time to return to the gym, as they are known for their expertise in various aspects of physical activity. They collaborate with other healthcare experts to guide them on the best path forward. Depending on your specific surgery and condition, a sports medicine physician may recommend tailored exercises to enhance mobility, strength, and flexibility. Furthermore, professionals at Clinique de médecine Sportive de l’Avenir recommend regular check-ins to monitor your progress, make necessary adjustments to your exercise plan, and promptly identify any potential issues or complications that may arise.
Why do I need to visit a sports podiatrist?
Self-explanatory. Isn’t it?
Apart from all the reasons, we must mention another reason to visit a sports podiatrist today: these doctors help analyze your gait.
Gait analysis can help decode long-lasting pain symptoms from an old, deep-seated wound or non-healed injuries. Sports podiatrists use the “Walk test,” where you must walk on a pressure-sensitive pad, and a computer program records your feet’ movement, pressure application, force angle, etc. Also, a visual examination of your walking certainly helps to detect any inconsistency in the free flow of weight and energy along your axes. This help to pinpoint the exact problem area and start treatment fast.
Early detection means early cure
An early cure means a long, happy life with no restrictions!