Sports Injuries / Foot And Ankle Injuries Specialist
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Foot & Ankle Affiliates
Eric J Abrams, DPM
Podiatry & Foot & Ankle Surgery located in Eatontown, NJ & Toms River, NJ
Whether you’re active in recreational or competitive sports, nothing is more frustrating than a foot or ankle injury that takes you out of the game. To get back into play with optimal strength, it’s important to get immediate treatment from Eric Abrams, DPM, at Foot & Ankle Affiliates. As an expert in foot and ankle sports injuries, he has extensive experience treating injuries ranging from mild sprains to complex fractures, providing therapies that help your regain your peak performance. To schedule an appointment, call one of the offices in Eatontown and Toms River, New Jersey, or use the online booking feature.
Sports Injuries / Foot and Ankle Injuries
What are the most common foot and ankle sports injuries?
Your foot and ankle sustain a tremendous amount of wear-and-tear from normal daily activities. When you play sports, the stress only increases, whether from repetitive movement or high-impact activities.
Some of the most common foot and ankle injuries include:
- Ankle sprains and fractures
- Stress fractures
- Plantar fasciitis
- Achilles tendonitis
- Midfoot fractures
- Sesamoid injuries
- Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction
- Peroneal tendon injuries
Toe and forefoot injuries also frequently occur from repetitive stress during sports like running and basketball.
What symptoms develop due to foot and ankle injuries?
No matter how you injure your foot or ankle, you can develop classic symptoms such as:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Weakness
- Limited movement
- Joint instability
- Inability to use your foot or ankle
When symptoms appear, especially if you can’t bear weight or you have swelling, it’s important to ice the injury and elevate your foot. These actions help reduce swelling, but more importantly, they force you to stop using your foot and ankle, which is critical if you have a sprain or fracture.
What should I know about ankle instability?
When you have a moderate-to-severe ankle sprain, the worst thing you can do is to keep using the ankle before having it evaluated by Dr. Abrams. If you continue to bear weight on an injured ligament, you put yourself at risk of developing chronic ankle instability. In most cases, you’ll need to keep the weight off your ankle for a short time or modify your activities to ensure you make a full recovery and regain optimal ligament strength.
How do you treat foot and ankle sports injuries?
As a foot and ankle specialist, Dr. Abrams offers comprehensive care for foot and ankle injuries, but first he performs a thorough physical examination and orders X-rays or other imaging tests as needed to determine the extent of your injury.
Your treatment is based on the type of injury and the extent of the damage. You may get by with modifying your activities. If you need to avoid using your foot and ankle, you may need casting, bracing, or taping to help immobilize the tissues while they heal.
For soft tissue injuries such as Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis, Dr. Abrams offers extracorporeal pulse activation technology (EPAT®). EPAT is a noninvasive treatment that uses low-level acoustic energy to increase blood flow and accelerate healing.
When your swelling goes down, Dr. Abrams helps you start your rehabilitation, developing a regimen to gradually improve your range of motion, restore flexibility, and strengthen your muscles and ligaments. When it’s time to return to the game, he may recommend custom orthotics to support your foot and improve your performance.
To get expert care for any foot or ankle injury, call Foot & Ankle Affiliates or request an appointment online.
