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Movement is an essential part of a quality of life. Many people don’t realize how important the ability to walk and move around are to happiness until they lose that ability. That’s why foot injuries are so scary. Foot injuries can greatly restrict your range of motion and can greatly hamper your movement. Unfortunately, foot injuries are relatively common, and some of them can occur just about anywhere. What are the foot injuries you’re most likely to experience, how do they affect you, and what can you do to recover? Here are the five most common foot injuries you might experience.
Stress Fractures
Stress fractures are a common form of injury among runners and other athletes. Runners often experience this injury when they ramp up their mileage too quickly and don’t have a base of training behind them. Stress fractures occur from overuse, so if you are on your feet too much, you could experience this injury. A stress fracture is a tiny crack in the bone, causing slight discomfort when dormant but it can really pain you when active. There really isn’t any cure or aid that can be done for stress fractures, so if you have one you’ll just have to wait for it to heal. Stress fractures are pretty common among athletes and people involved in physical labor, and the long weeks of recovery can be very annoying.
Plantar Fasciitis
Many people assume the worst when their feet first start hurting them, but that isn’t always the case. Plantar fasciitis is a relatively common foot injury, and while the pain can be annoying it is relatively easy to treat. The injury is characterized by a dull heel or arch pain, most often at its worst during the morning. However, treating this injury is relatively easy as stretching can be a big help. Plantar fasciitis is caused by tight calves and hamstrings, so frequently stretching can loosen these muscles up and cause your pain to go away.
Achilles Injury
Achilles injuries are extremely common among both athletes and non-athletes, and depending on the severity could be potentially life-changing. Many people experience tendonitis in their Achilles, a dull ache from the Achilles tendon. The injury is often caused by a tight lower body and can oftentimes be helped through stretching and physical therapy. However, other Achilles injuries are much more serious, although not as common. Achilles tears could sideline you for months and require many surgeries. Your range of movement will be greatly limited even after being fully healed, making an Achilles tear one of the worst injuries an athlete can experience.
Sprains
Ankle and foot sprains are an extremely common type of foot injury. It is very easy to twist or sprain a foot or ankle, as sometimes people can do it just from walking. All it takes is for you to take one wrong step and jerk your foot in a direction it’s not supposed to move. Walking on uneven surfaces and not paying attention to where you’re going can make this injury even more common. Sprains are also pretty common in sports, occurring in nearly every sport that requires movement and sudden changes of direction. Your ankle and foot will likely be sore and swollen for a decent amount of time and you could experience talus pain when walking, however, rest and care can help you get back on your feet. Although sprains may not be that long-term of an injury, they are an extremely common way to hurt your feet.
Turf Toe
Turf toe is an extremely annoying injury that occurs when your big toe bends in a way that it is not supposed to. In this aspect it is very similar to an ankle or foot sprain, just occuring in the big toe. The injury is called turf toe because it most commonly occurs in sports played on turfs, like American football or soccer. Oftentimes the toe is bent and injured while the shoe gets stuck in the turf. However, turf toe can happen on surfaces that aren’t turf and can occur if the toe gets bent when running or walking. Turf toe can be a pretty painful injury, and oftentimes you’ll have to tape the toe to prevent more bending until the toe heals.
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