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.

Avoiding Ankle Sprains – See what Yoga has to offer

All of us know the value or stretching before and after any run.  Keeping the muscles and ligaments that affect your ankle loose and healthy does a lot to avoid injury.  The little aches and pains you may notice when you forget to stretch can lead to bigger problems.  Ankle sprains are one of the most common sport related problem seen in your Austin podiatrist’s clinic.  The motion of your ankle and the ground forces pushing up during a long run can cause weakening leading to small tears or bruising to the tendon. You need look no farther than just a few blogs ago to understand why tendon issues can be especially challenging to recover from. These facts only bolster the old adage of ‘an ounce of prevention….’

Enter yoga…….this spiritual, mental, physical philosophy from the far east has a long varied history.  In the USA, it has made its way into health clubs and tends to focus primarily on the physical stretching and strengthening. Yoga Journal writers site a former trainer for the Chicago Bulls when talking about tightness around the ankle. Running in general, but especially in basketball can lead to tightness in your shins.  These activities often put more pressure on the ball of your foot.  Yoga poses focus on aligned your body and this starts with your feet.  By focusing on evenly distributing pressures throughout your foot during a pose, your force you ankles to be better aligned.  The tendons and muscles that support the sides of your ankles may be missing this challenge when running on flat surfaces.  A few minutes of yoga everyday can give them the attention they need to stay healthy and strong.

You do not have to look far to find a yoga class here in Austin.  Hopefully it fits into your weekly workouts.  Making this a part of your running and exercise routing can keep your ankles strong and healthy.  Don’t hesitate to contact Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists if you have any foot or ankle pain.  The longer you delay identifying the problem, the longer it may take to make it better. Drop by for a visit today!

Until next time, keep those feet happy and healthy, Austin!

Houston Rocket’s Yao Ming - Basketball players and foot injuries

It was game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals in May 2009 that Yao twisted his ankle.  That year was one of his healthiest since a long list of injuries that began in 2005.  That year, osteomyelitis infected his big toe; the 06-07 season brought a break to the right leg and 07-08 required foot surgery for a stress related fracture of the left foot.  After coming back from all that, Yao was a significant factor in the 08-09 Rockets march to the NBA semifinals.  He told reporters after game 3 that he played through a ‘twist’ in his ankle each quarter.  Doctors took subsequent CT scans of the injured ankle and noted another fracture.  After spending the year recovering from that surgery, Yao has spent the preseason slowly working up to his old self.

So, why are basketball players, especially the tallest ones, so susceptible to injury?  There are several factors that play into this. One factor that we have talked about before is the compounding pressure and weight applied to your feet when you run. Many of the tallest players in the NBA are also the heaviest.  When one foot takes the impact of a 300+ pound athlete sprinting down the hardwood floor, their bones and ligaments are put under a stress many of us will never experience. Add to that, a second factor.  Quick changes in direct, pivots and cuts all subject the foot to ligamentous strain that can easily turn into injury.  For these reasons, footwear and orthotic inserts are of the utmost importance to basketball players be they professionals or high school players.

Let’s get back to Yao.  Is there hope for our center?  Can we expect a productive season out of this international star?  Only time will tell.  For now, his doctors have limited him to playing only 24 minutes per game.  This will provide time for him to work back to performance condition, but will provide challenges for the Rockets team.  We can hope that Yao follows in the footsteps of Zydrunas Ilgauskas of the Miami Heat who has fully recovered from a similar surgery. Unfortunately, there is the old adage ‘the bigger they are the harder they fall’ and there are many big players who have never recovered.  Here’s hoping some medical expertise, the proper physical therapy, and a little luck make Yao Ming the strong center that has helped the Rockets out in the past. 

Until next time, keep those feet happy and healthy Austin!

NFL Week 2 Injuries

Tonight’s game aside, the second week of NFL football is complete and along with it some players season.  Only two weeks into the season the injury list for the NFL is quite long.  With the hard hits on the run, it is no surprise that most of these injuries occur in the knees, ankle and feet.  

Dallas Cowboys’ fullback Deon Anderson is reported to be out for two to four weeks after having surgery on his left knee. This is not too surprising as during his time here in Texas there have been several injuries.  Last year’s knee injury may be coming back to haunt him as this surgery is to repair a torn meniscus.  The menisci are very important to knee function and can be quite debilitating if not treated properly.

Yesterday surely added a few injuries that won’t be fully assessed until later this week.  Cornerback for the Denver Bronco’s, Champ Bailey, suffered a left ankle injury in their win over the Seahawks.  A good lesson for all of us, he was using crutches to off load the ankle after the game.  Until the extent of the injury can be properly assessed, it is important not to aggravate the injury or cause any further damage.

While we could spend the entire football season discussing foot and ankle injuries, we’ll try to limit it to the more significant problems.  One such injury occurred in the season opener for the Green Bay Packers.  Their running back Ryan Grant is out for the rest of season due to the injury that occurred. If similar to the picture, it is is not a common injury. The ligaments that are on the inside of your ankle are some of the strongest in your body.  These ligaments are so strong that injury to them often includes bone being broken where they insert.  This injury will require surgical repair and sideline him for the rest of the season.  While the Packers were still able to pull off a win this week, the effects of losing their starting running back, who contributed over 1,200 yards each of the last two years, remains to be seen.

Until next time, keep happy and healthy Austin!