Dwayne Wade – Heel Pain & Ankle Sprains

Miami Heat’s Dwayne Wade returned to action on Tuesday after missing 3 games and many practices over the last week.   He had been ‘taking it easy’ during that time in order to recover from heel pain.  The team had reported he was recovering from a ‘bruised foot’ that occurred against the Charlotte Bobcats. When the injury didn’t resolve after a week, Wade speculated that the injury may be his plantar fascia.  Whether he was fully recovered or not Wade seemed to have any problems in the game against the Golden State Warriors.  Unfortunately, the team hasn’t secured a win since his return and Wade’s injuries have mounted.  He strained his calf against the LA Clippers on Wednesday and sprained his ankle Friday against the Denver Nuggets.

Wade was concerned that he may have broken something as he’d ‘never sprained it like that before’.   With any ankle injury, it is important to rule out fractures with x-rays.   NBA players are liked to get to an x-ray quicker than you or I, but it is important to RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) any kind of ankle injury as excessive swelling can often make the problem worse.  Your body uses swelling to supply healing nutrients to the site and protect it.  The ankle joint often cannot easily accommodate large amounts of swelling and can complicate the injury.  For ankle injuries like this, an early treatment would be an injection to the ankle with a local anesthetic to relieve pain as well as a corticosteroid to help reduce swelling.   Doctor’s will most likely recommend early physical therapy as ankle sprains can become chronic if not treated aggressively.

While the ankle injury appears to have occurred on its own, we have to wonder if the heel pain played any part in problems over the last few games.  Heel pain can have many causes and all are not as straight forward as we have tried to point out before.  A thorough evaluation by a podiatric physician will identify the cause of your pain and the best course to correct it.  We hope Mr. Wade heals quickly and is able to get back on the court.

Heel pain due to weight gain

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At a time of the year when spending time with family, doing for others and eating big meals, there are few of us who are surprised when we put on a few pounds.  Even though Mother Nature treats us a little better than other parts of the country it is definitely not as pleasant for walking and running outside as rest of the year.   It is an unfortunate fact, but those few extra pounds may be the source of heel pain.  On the same note, a survey by the American Podiatric Medical Association indicates that foot pain, of which heel pain is a large component, cause many Americans to gain weight due to lack of activity.

This can often become a compounding problem. The more weight you gain, the more heel pain your may have and more heel pain you have the less likely you are to exercise those pounds away.  While there are a variety of exercises, such as swimming and biking, that are not limited by heel pain, we must admit that for most of us these options are not as easy as walking or running.  Strapping on a good pair of running shoes and taking a lap or two through your neighborhood is about as easy as it gets.  Remembering to do proper stretching of your feet, especially the plantar fascia, as well as your legs can help to keep the loose. Heel pain can often be the result of tight ligaments and muscles.  Foot pain can quickly limit this and should not be ignored.

This can be a very demanding time of the year.  The last thing you need is heel pain limiting your activity.  An evaluation by Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists can identify the source of your heel pain and get you back to your activities pain free.  There are many different causes of heel pain beyond weight gain and tight tendons so a thorough evaluation is necessary to avoid more serious problems.   A variety of treatments are available through your Austin podiatrist.  Don’t delay in having your heels feeling good for the holidays!