Please let Bay Area Foot & Laser Podiatry Group get down to the bottom of your injury so you can be up and running again. During your visit, Dr. Jonathan Huey conducts a thorough exam and determines the best recovery plan for you.

If you overly stretched or tore a muscle, or a tendon (tissue that connects muscle to bone), then you strained it.

While common symptoms for both a sprain and a strain include pain, swelling, limited flexibility and range of motion, the main difference in symptoms between the two is a sign of bruising from a sprain, and muscle spasms from a strain.

Unlike sprains and strains, a fracture is an actual break in the bone. A broken bone can come from a sudden injury or over time from doing something repetitively. Like sprains, common symptoms include pain, swelling, bruising, and difficulty walking. X-rays will show if your bone is broken.

What should I do?

If it’s an emergency, please don’t hesitate to seek immediate medical assistance.

When it comes to foot or ankle injuries, we believe it’s always best to err on the side of caution. We invite you to come in and see Dr. Huey for a comprehensive examination. As a foot and ankle specialist, he’ll determine the extent of your injury and help you recover from it as soon as possible. In the meantime, here’s what you can do at home. Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation—remember, RICE is nice.

Rest.  Please stay off it as much as you can until we can evaluate it. Any activity might make your injury worse.

Ice. Please ice it as soon as possible to decrease the inflammation. Do this for 15 to 20 minutes every three to four hours for the first 48 hours.

Compression. Please wrap it with an elastic compression bandage snuggly but not too tightly because you don’t want to cut off your circulation.

Elevation. With some pillows, please elevate it so that it’s higher than your heart. This helps decrease the swelling.

Puncture Wounds

Perhaps you stepped on a nail, dropped something sharp on your foot, or even got bitten by an animal—puncture wounds usually happen while walking barefoot, with socks, or with shoes that don’t protect your feet. When an injury causes a break in your skin, it exposes the wound to infection and should be treated immediately. Please call us as soon as possible so we can take care of it properly.

Bursitis

Bursitis can come from an injury, too. Bursae are small fluid-filled sacs that act as cushions to protect your joint areas from friction. Too much pressure such as wearing poor-fitting shoes or high heels can inflame these sacs; so can too much repetitive motion from doing athletic activities (running, jumping, and dancing) especially without proper warm-up. Look for joint pain, swelling, redness or stiffness in your heel, arch, or toes, more pain when you flex and bend it or walk on the tips of your toes, and tenderness when you touch it. If you suspect you have bursitis, please come in for a complete evaluation and proper diagnosis.

Foot and ankle injuries take time to heal and can test anyone’s patience. Let us be there for you because we’re great at what we do. The sooner we can help, the sooner you can get back to being great at what you do, too.

If you’re an athlete, then you can up your game and avoid pain by wearing the right shoes. Check out this American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) article that offers tips on how to choose the right footwear for the sport you play.