Physical activity is becoming an increasingly popular lifestyle choice as people are encouraged to make healthier choices. Extreme sports, such as running marathons, have become mainstream, resulting in a higher incidence of training injuries that stem from individuals with previously low levels of activity prepping for high-intensity workouts. Primary health care providers must diagnose and manage many common lower extremity injuries and refer severe injuries to specialists. This article will focus on the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of 4 common foot and ankle injuries.

Some Basics...

• There are many ways that people can injure their foot or ankle.
• There are also many types of foot and ankle injuries. There are bones, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and muscles in the foot and ankle. These can all be injured.
• Treatment depends on the type of injury a person has. A doctor will know the right way to treat a foot or ankle injury.

By Prevention

Jun 22, 2014

The American Podiatric Medical Association reports that an overwhelming majority of Americans—75%—experience problems with their feet at some point during their lifetimes. It’s no wonder, considering the complexity of the foot. Each foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles, and many tendons that hold the foot together and help it move in various directions. The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, at times putting so much pressure on the feet that it exceeds his or her body weight. Amazingly, it’s not really the workout that batters feet, it’s most often a combination of ill-fitting shoes and neglect. Fortunately, much can be done to ease foot pain. Here’s what our experts recommend to treat foot pain.