Foot sprains are extremely common injury in the world of athletics. As the
heat goes up a notch or two during summer time, doctors often see a spike of
foot sprains in athletes and sports enthusiasts. Although the Achilles tendon is
easily injured or stressed, people need to know that they have to consult with a
doctor when they are unable or have tried to take care of the problem on their
own. in fact, when sports injuries extend over a prolonged period time, patients
should always consult with their doctors to find out whether the problem will
become an acute one in the future.
When you talk about foot sprains, you’re assuming that the ankle muscle is
probably one of the smaller, if not the smallest, muscles in the body. But this
is not true because the Achilles tendon is the largest and strongest tendon in
the body. The ankle muscle connects the calf to the heel, and because of the
kind of activity that we usually go through on a daily basis, depending on the
level of mobility, this Achilles tendon is easily injured. Hence, foot sprains
are very common even for those who are not athletic or active in sports.
The Best Selling Foot and Ankle
Ice Wraps for Sprains and Foot Pain
For someone who is not very active, a sudden trauma, twisting or sprain of
the legs can cause a tear in the ankle muscle. Either over-activity or long-term
non-activity combined with sudden movement or suddenly intense level of exercise
can cause an injury like this. For sportsmen, basketball players and tennis
players often have this form of problem. The reason is because this problem is
associated with someone jumping and then landing wrongly on his or her foot,
causing trauma or a tear to the Achilles tendon. It happens, also, to those who
jumps into the air and then landing with such force that the ankle muscle is not
able to absorb the force of landing properly.
The symptoms and level of pain experienced by patients of this sports injury
vary from person to person, depending on many different factors – one of them is
age-related. Those who are more advanced in years may experience chronic aches
and pain, Achilles tendonitis or mild inflammation, swelling and pain in the
injury site. Suffice to say that those who are older may have chronic aches and
pain to the ankle muscle due to a tear in the tendon when it could have been a
mild sprain in younger patients.
The most effective treatment for this injury is to rest and completely stop
using the leg. Go on a bed rest or use tools to prevent usage or avoid putting
your body’s weight on the leg by using a crutch or wheelchair, if necessary.
Placement of ice or cold treatment will work wonders on cooling off the injury
site and encourage a more rapid healing process. Cold treatment or usage of ice
packs will bring down swelling and prevent inflammation or aggravation of the
sports injury.
Together with rest, application of ice pack and mild therapy can help speed up
the healing of the foot sprain. While foot sprains are hardly life-threatening,
it can be extremely inconvenient because it reduces or eliminates mobility of
the patient. So, often times, a patient would want to resume normal activities
as soon as possible. And this is what something as simple as rest, a bag of ice
pack, and crutches can do for you.
