Nothing in your body is like your foot, and no other part can do what your feet are capable of doing.
We take them for granted, in part because we rarely see them.
They’re way down there doing their thing, and unless they hurt, they remain off the radar.
In one sense they belong there. At the lower extreme of our body, they – more than any other part of our body – take physical use and weight as the standard operating condition.
But when they do start to hurt, or you get them into an accident, and you’re looking for foot injury treatment in Atlanta, this post will give you some information about the most common of podiatric pain.
Common Foot Injuries
First an answer to the one question you’ve been asking.
What’s a Bunion?
When the big toe begins to push outward at the joint and point toward the other toes, that is called a bunion.
The skin at the point of the joint seems to jut out and becomes swollen and painful.
There is an argument about how bunions come about. One opinion is ill-fitting shoes, such as women’s footwear that pinch the toes up to a point. Another possibility is the over descent of the arch, called pronation, in which the arch of the foot becomes too shallow when absorbing the impact of a step.
This moves the force of impact to the ligaments in the foot until the big toe joint begins to get irritated on the inner side and give way.
Repairs include ice, rest, new shoes with wider toe boxes, and a visit to the orthopedist who can prescribe you orthotic inserts or shoes and, if necessary, can operate to return your foot to normal.
How To Treat Stress Fractures
We said there isn’t much working quite like your foot, and sometimes if you’re not eating right and overstressing your body, you’ll suffer a stress fracture.
Feel for tenderness in the longest bones of your foot, which is the distal part of the metatarsals, or your toes end and your foot begins. You should see some swelling over the fractured area and not be able to carry weight without pain. Often a stress fracture can be treated without a cast, but with rest and ice.
Treating Turf Toe For Athletes In Atlanta
If you’re a gymnast or into ballet and running without traditional footwear, even though you don’t go near a football pitch, you might encounter its painful namesake: Turf Toe.
This is the hyperextension of your great toe making the joint painful to move. A visit to the doctor is warranted to ensure you haven’t broken anything.
After that, it’s ice, relaxation, and taping, such as Kinesio tape.
Understanding More About Plantar Fasciitis
You have a ligament running across the bottom of your foot, known as the plantar fascia.
When you’ve been running flat footed or with minimalist footwear, tearing of this soft tissue will result in plantar fasciitis. While the fabric is designed to help you bounce and absorb shock, when it’s stretched too far it’s going to become worn and eventually tear.
This is not to be confused with a strain of the plantar fascia, which can happen to people who jump, run and are also overweight or have tight leg muscles in the calves.
A strained plantar fascia may develop into plantar fasciitis, which can take two-thirds of a year to heal.
The best advice is to go to the doctor if you’re feeling pain in your heel when you’re getting up in the morning.