Any sports, regular physical exercise, workplace or day to day activity can put you at risk of an injury in your feet or lower limbs. This is the case, whether you’re a hillwalker, jogger, footballer, an athlete or a dancer. Sport or work which involves higher physical impact or force has the potential to cause greater damage.

Whatever the cause, make sure to seek diagnosis and treatment for your injury or pain and take time to recover. Otherwise, you risk causing bigger problems because the healing process has not completed.

Failure to heal can lead to a breakdown of the tissues involved, creating a ‘biomechanical overload’ leads to the classic over-use type injuries often seen in runners.

What are Musculo-Skeletal Podiatry Problems?

These are the range of conditions which may affect the muscles, joints, soft tissues and bones in your feet and lower limbs.  This is not so surprising, when you consider that the foot and ankle carry our entire body weight.

In fact, foot and ankle problems are common but particularly for those aged over 45. Around 30% of them can be affected. Some people can experience difficulties with routine tasks including daily living activities. They may experience pain, stiffness and/or swelling.

The main causes of these problems centre around:

• Trauma
• Tripping/Falling
• Going over on your ankle
• Osteoarthritis
• Inflammatory conditions (i.e. Rheumatoid Arthritis)
• Muscle weakness
• Footwear

Whatever the cause, it’s important to make an appointment to have your problem or injury assessed and treated so that it does not lead to more serious problems further down the line. 

Common Sports Injuries of the Foot

There are lots of ways to injure your feet, no matter what sport you play. These can range of damage joggers face from constant impact of their feet on the pavement to the jumping, sprinting and physical impact of field and court sports.

But one thing they all have in common is that foot and ankle health is vital to performing well and to staying in your chosen sport. Common injuries which podiatrists can assess and treat include:

• Foot and Ankle Sprains and Strains
• Achilles Tendonitis
• Heel Pain
• Stress Fractures of the Foot

Assessing Sports and Musculo-Skeletal Conditions

Pain in one region may be because of weakness elsewhere and as such it’s important to examine the body as a whole. Abnormal walking patterns can be the cause of postural problems and may cause pain in everything from foot, ankle, knee, hip, back and in some cases even neck pain.

Biomechanics and gait assessment is a way to examine and diagnose lower limb conditions. The procedure looks at muscle strength, alignment, the range of joint motion, muscle function and joint function. It focuses on how the foot, knees, hips, pelvis and back interact with each other.

After a biomechanics assessment, a range of treatment options can be implemented. These include orthotic (insole) therapy, footwear advice, flexibility and strength advice. This advice may recommend changing current activity.

Normally, a Biomechanical assessment will last about an hour and may include a scan for custom fitted orthotics (insoles).

 For more information on Sports and Musculoskeletal Problems or to book an appointment please call us on 074 936 3282 or email info@inishowenfootcare.i