Foot Rehabilitation for Athletes
It is hard to think of a sport in which the ankle and foot are completely safe from injury. Even simple activities such as darts and pool can cause injuries to the foot. When an athlete does suffer from a foot injury, he needs to find a way to get back on his feet right away. Immediate results may be desired, but they are not always possible.
Severe injuries require special attention. When the foot or the ankle gets injured, muscles surrounding the bones can weaken or atrophy through disuse. While the bones will heal on their own, it takes a more concentrated effort for an athlete to regain full use of his feet and ankles. A doctor may recommend that a person go through a course of physical therapy. The course of physical therapy treatment uses simple, repetitive isometric exercises. The use of the exercises will cause the body to rebuild the muscles and tendons in the area over time and restore the full range of movement.
When selecting ankle and foot rehabilitation services, an athlete needs to find a licensed sports therapist (other physical therapists work with more generalized conditions, and while these kinds of physical therapists are dedicated to their job, they do not necessarily understand the special demands of the athlete). A good sports therapist will take their time with a patient, and make sure that he or she understands the problem and the options available for treatment.As long as the doctor expects a person to return to the sport which he enjoys, the sports physical therapist will recommend the exact exercises a person needs to get back in the game.
Although the professional athlete needs a trained sports therapist, an amateur athlete or the weekend player can benefit from foot rehabilitation services for athletes as well. An ankle or foot injury does not have to cause a person go give up the game he loves entirely, so long as he or she seeks out a sports therapist.
Physical therapy can not always perfectly heal certain injuries, but it will more quickly and effectively help the afflicted person get better. Less severe injuries may only take a person out of his favorite sport just for a little while, if he or she sees a sports therapist. As long as the doctor the athlete sees thinks a full recovery is possible, it is worth it to check out ankle and foot rehabilitation services.
Keeping Children's Feet Healthy
As a parent, your most important job is taking care of your children in every possible way. You watch what they eat, you protect them from harm, but it is important to be proactive in taking care of their health, especially when it comes to their feet. Having healthy, well taken care of feet in childhood is crucial in helping eliminate problems later in life, especially in the back and legs. As children grow, their feet require different types of care. Here are some ways you can help keep your children's feet healthy, from birth to school age.
Babies require a lot of care in general, but don't forget their feet. Since babies don't walk yet, their feet can be easy to overlook, but it is still important to take care of them. In the first year of life a baby's feet grow and change very much, so it is important that you do not put any tight shoes or socks on your baby's feet. Let your baby stretch and kick her feet so he or she can feel comfortable.
When a baby turns into a toddler, they are now on the move and it is important that your toddler has comfortable and protective shoes to walk in. Now is the time you may notice different things about your child's feet, but know that children at this age are just getting the feel for walking, so don't be alarmed if they seem to walk funny. It is normal for a toddler to be unsteady on their feet.
When your child gets older and leaves the toddler stage behind, it is now important that you teach them how to take care of their own feet. Show them proper cleaning and hygiene so that their feet do not develop fungus or infection. Since children are constantly running and playing, it is also important to watch out for injury or pain. Children are still growing, and certain injuries can effect the bones growth and development so it is vital to have all injuries checked by a doctor as soon as possible. Comfortable shoes that cushion the foot and provide protection from hours of rough play are highly recommended.
Children and babies are constantly growing and developing, and it is your job as a parent to make sure that nothing is hindering their ability to mature at a normal rate. This includes properly taking care of the feet, as healthy feet are important in order to live a normal, fulfilling life.
Foot Surgery
If noninvasive or less invasive procedures have failed you when it comes to problems with your feet, you may need to start thinking about getting foot surgery. There are many reasons why a person may need surgery on their feet, which include but are not limited to, problems with arthritis that have caused severe bone issues within your feet, deformities of the foot such as bone spurs and bunions, congenital malformations such as club foot and flat feet, and reconstruction to attend to injuries caused by accidents. Anyone of any age, race, or gender can undergo foot surgery if they feel the need to correct these problems and there are no limiting factors keeping people from getting their feet properly treated.
Depending on what needs to be done, there are many different types of surgeries to correct any issues you might have. For example, a bunionectomy is a procedure that will eliminate any growths on your feet, such as bunions, and have them removed via the surgery. If nerve pain and damage is what you are suffering from, then you may need to undergo procedures that will target the tissues that surround the painful nerve and potentially have them removed. If your bones need to be fused together or realigned, then surgical fusion of your feet is another option you might consider.
As mentioned before, many times when these issues are first discovered, other noninvasive or less invasive procedures are carrier out first before any surgery takes place. However, if all else fails, then surgery is the best option for you.
There are some obvious benefits to having surgery done on your feet. The first being that you will now be relieved of any pain in the foot or surrounding area, which means you can get back to doing activities you previously were unable to do. The second is that once you have completed your surgery, the problem will more often than not be gone forever, eliminating any recurring issues or pain.
Foot surgery techniques continue to advance yearly as better and more technologies become available for you. For example, endoscopic surgery is just one of the many advancements that have been made in the field of podiatric surgery. Many procedures are now able to take a less invasive route by using very small incisions and smaller, more refined instruments. On top of this, recovery time for surgeries has been significantly shortened leading to an overall positive advancement for all podiatric surgeries.
Orthoses
Orthoses are devices used to correct physical impairment caused by scoliosis, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, or foot deformities. Orthopedic devices control, guide, limit or immobilize body segments. They assist in movement; reduce weight bearing forces and aid in rehabilitation from fractures. They also correct the shape and function of the body.
Orthoses include ankle foot orthosis, thoracolumbosacral orthosis, knee orthosis and wrist hand orthosis. When orthoses were first made, plaster of Paris molds were made of the patient and then materials like plastic, elastic, metal or a combination of those materials. Now braces for participants in contact sports are made from neoprene to allow movement but reduce the range of movement.
The Boston Brace is used to assist scoliosis sufferers. It is also called a low-profile or underarm brace. It fits under the breast to above the pelvic area in the front and below the shoulder blades to the tail bone in the back. By applying three point of pressure to the curve, the lumbar area is forced to flex, the abdomen is pushed in and the posterior is flattened.
The Charleston Bending Brace is only worn at night. A mold is made of the patient’s body bent towards the outward bulge of the curve. The design of the brace is built to correct the curve of the scoliosis. Repeatedly wearing this brace for eight hours should eventually correct the problem somewhat if not completely. The brace is good for patients with a curve of 20 to 36 degrees.
The Milwaukee Brace is used for mid-back curves. This brace consists of a plastic pelvic girdle and a neck ring. The pieces are connected in the front and back by metal bars. Pressure pads are place along the patient’s curve pattern along the metal bars. This brace is rarely used but patients with a curve very high in the spine can benefit from wearing it.
A knee orthosis is a brace worn to give the knee strength. Osteoarthritis can cause significant pain in the knee resulting in immobility. Knee braces allow a person to remain active. Often therapy and drugs are used in conjunction with a knee brace.
Orthoses have changed over the decades. The materials used for the actual orthotic devices have evolved to include hydraulics as it appears in some knee braces that the patient adjusts to compensate for stability. When this is adjusted, it helps the knee by giving the sense of space between the bones which stops the pain that radiates when the bones rub together. Orthoses products stop pain and give patients the ability to move pain free.
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