Foot and Ankle Injuries in Sports

Sports foot and ankle injuries are damage that play does to the feet and ankles, and care for them is judged by whether the athlete leaves knowing what was hurt and what comes next. The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons says that, depending on the sport, your feet and ankles can certainly take a beating from repetitive play. Care is complete only when the athlete has a named injury, a repair plan and a stated condition for returning to the field.

What finished care looks like

Finished care answers three questions in plain words: which structure is injured, what is being done about it, and what has to be true before you play again. Cleveland Clinic's page on turf toe: what it is, causes, symptoms and treatment shows the kind of specificity to expect for one common injury.

Which article settles which doubt

AAOS OrthoInfo keeps its own page on turf toe, a useful second read before you choose among the questions below.

• Is a bent-back big toe more than a sprain? Read Turf Toe and the Overbent Big Toe.
• Why does the ball of the foot hurt under the big toe? Read Pain Under the Big Toe From Sesamoiditis.
• What does a field sport do to the foot? Read Lacrosse and Field Sport Foot Injuries.
• Is the pain under the big toe a break? Read Sesamoid Fractures in Athletes and Dancers.
• Why does the outside of the ankle ache? Read Peroneal Tendonitis on the Outside of the Ankle.

The shortcut that passes for a diagnosis

The shortcut athletes most often accept is a quick "just a sprain" followed by a return to play on the team's schedule. APMA lists turf toe, Achilles tendinitis and ankle sprains side by side as common foot injuries in football and lacrosse. These are different injuries, so a label that lumps them together tells you little about what to do next.

When the standard is not being met

If you were given a label without an explanation, sent back to play without a stated condition for returning, or left with pain that nobody has re-examined, the standard is not being met. At that stage, asking another clinician to look is fair. Ask that clinician which structure is injured and what the plan is, then compare the answers.