How to Avoid Fractures While Playing Sports

Whether you’re a high-level athlete or an athlete on occasion, playing sports has a lot of benefits to offer. Intense physical activity keeps you healthy and builds strong bones and muscles. Plus, if you play team sports, it can keep you socially connected. 

One downside to active sports participation is an increased risk of injury. However, you can significantly decrease this risk by taking the proper precautions to play your sport of choice safely. 

There are several types of common sports-related injuries, and one of them is fractures, especially ones that affect your feet and ankles, since you demand a lot of them in almost every type of sport. 

At Foot and Ankle Institute of Colorado in Colorado Springs, Colorado, podiatrists and sports medicine experts Matthew Hinderland, DPM, Jordan Cameron, DPM, and Trevor Whiting, DPM, lead our team in diagnosing and treating sports-related injuries, including foot and ankle fractures.

In this month’s blog, we discuss some practical ways to protect your feet and ankles so you can enjoy your sport safely. 

Warm-up, cool down, and train properly 

Want to prevent fractures while playing sports? You need to start by training how to use your body correctly, exercising effectively, and prioritizing warm-ups and cool-downs. 

Stretching during warm-ups and cool-downs ensures your muscles stay loose and don’t tighten when you’re active. Tight and cold muscles are much more prone to injury, and damaged muscles can’t effectively stabilize and protect your bones and joints from injury. 

When you’re training for your sport and strengthening muscles during workouts, it’s important to learn how to do those routines safely. Make sure to rotate which muscle groups you’re working, and rotate between cardiovascular workouts and weight-training workouts to protect muscles, bones, and joints from overuse injuries. 

Knowing how to use your body properly during a sports competition is also important. Quick and improper movements put you at a huge risk for injury. 

Wear the right shoes

Your feet and ankles absorb 120% of your body’s weight, so it makes sense that you need to support them right back by choosing the right kind of shoes. 

Start by choosing shoes that give you the proper support for your particular sport. But make sure your shoes also provide optimal shock absorption, stability, and cushioning so your feet and ankles are ready for you to pound the floor and move quickly without fear of injury. 

Don’t overdo it

While an acute foot or ankle fracture will have fairly obvious symptoms, a stress fracture may not. This fracture happens from repeated overuse and not enough rest, and can have more subtle symptoms. So, if you notice foot, ankle, or lower leg pain that’s not going away, it’s important to rest and seek professional care from our team.

We can examine the affected area and suggest any adjustments you need to make to your workout or training routines. We can also create a treatment plan, if necessary. 

For expert sports injury care, look no further than our Foot and Ankle Institute of Colorado team. Schedule an appointment by calling our office or using our online booking feature today.