In today’s blog, we take a closer look at why your feet might be hurting if you didn’t suffer an obvious injury.

Feet Hurt Without Injury

If your feet are in pain and there is no acute moment of trauma that led to this discomfort, a number of different conditions could be the underlying cause. We won’t know for certain until you receive a diagnosis from an orthopedic specialist like Dr. Silverman, but here’s a look at some common foot and ankle conditions that can develop slowly over time and lead to significant pain.

Bunions – A bunion develops when your big toe joint shifts and becomes misaligned, causing it to protrude outwards and causing a visible bump on the side of your foot by the joint. This joint shifting doesn’t happen overnight. Instead, it takes months or even years of wearing poor footwear to cause the abnormal stress on the joint to shift it out of place. This can oftentimes be self-diagnosed by looking for a visible bump on the side of your foot near the base of your big toe joint. If there’s a bump, but it’s not painful, it still warrants attention because it likely will become symptomatic in the near future, and treating it before this point typically yields much better results.

Plantar Fasciitis – Plantar fasciitis is a condition we’ve talked about on this blog many times in the past, so you can head over to those blogs for more information on the condition, but repetitive stress on the feet can oftentimes lead to inflammation of the thick band of tissue that runs on the underside of your foot from your heel to your toes. Rest, activity modification, physical therapy and footwear changes can help to put an end to your plantar fasciitis.

Hammertoes – Hammertoes are similar to bunions in that abnormal pressure, oftentimes caused by overly tight shoes, causes problems for toes at the joint. Shoes that are too tight can force the smaller toes upwards, damaging the connective tissues in the joint. This can lead to a flexible or rigid bend in the toes that can also become painful. Make comfort your top priority when choosing shoes, and you can avoid hammertoes.

Achilles Tendonitis – Tendonitis is classified as an overuse injury, so if you’re on your feet all day, even if you don’t specifically injure your feet, tendonitis can develop. Being overweight or older can also put you at a higher risk for tendonitis, so work to manage your weight and wear the right shoes for the job to help ensure stress is dispersed as it should be throughout your feet.

Ingrown Toenail – And although this is hardly a comprehensive list, the last condition we’ll spotlight is an ingrown toenail. This is also brought on by tight-fitting shoes, which is why they can be prevalent among soccer players, dancers or others who rely on a tight shoe during athletic movements. Ingrown toenails can also routinely return unless they are cared for correctly, which is why it’s so important to connect with a foot and ankle specialist.

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Williams has suffered ankle injuries during her career, but Tuesday’s incident looked like it might send the five-time Australian Open champion home early.

Williams held a 4-0 lead in the first set when she chased a return shot to her right.  As she struck the ball, her momentum continued to carry her laterally.  Her right foot rolled outward, bringing the majority of her weight down on the injured ankle.

The 15-time major champion stayed on the ground for several minutes while being attended to by trainers.  Williams covered her face with her hands, but looked relieved when she was able to bear weight on her foot.   She limped over to her chair to have her ankle, which was taped before the match, readdressed.

“I think I was really, really close to panicking because a very similar thing happened to me last year, almost on the same side, the same shot,” said Williams. “So I almost panicked, and I thought, ‘I can’t do that. I just have to really remain calm and think things through.'”

Williams went on to win the set, and eventually the match, but she needed trainers to adjust her taping twice more during the match.  The injury didn’t seem to slow her down, but she was clearly playing through some discomfort as evidenced by her wincing following a jump shot in the second set.  Despite the pain, Williams plans to continue her quest for a sixth Australian Open title.

“Oh, I’ll be out there,” said Williams, in reference to her second round match. “I’m alive.  My heart’s beating.  I’ll be fine.”

Williams has dealt with injuries in major tournaments before, so she’s still confident in her abilities.

“I’ve been injured before,” she said. “I’ve played this tournament with so many injuries and was able to come off pretty on top.”

Williams is favored to win the tournament, having won 35 of her past 36 matches “down under”.  She’ll rest Wednesday before returning to the court Thursday to take on Garbine Muguruza.

Dr. Silverman comments

Serena is dealing with a classic inversion sprain.

Serena was moving from side to side when she tried to push off her right ankle, which rolled even though she was on a flat surface.  This occurred because she has weakened lateral ligaments.

Now, Serena is strong as an ox and I have amazing respect for her ability to function at such a high level, but her ankle instability puts her at a greater risk to roll or turn her ankle.  With that said, she must have extremely strong peroneal muscles to accommodate for her ankle instability.

This isn’t the first time she’s suffered an inversion sprain in her right ankle, and if she doesn’t seek proper treatment she may very well suffer the sprain once again.  Serena needs to consider that long-term repetitive spraining puts her at an increased risk of arthritis and tendon tearing.

I understand that there is rarely a “convenient” time for an athlete to undergo surgery, as competing on such a high level requires nearly year-round training, but she’d be better off by undergoing ankle ligament reconstruction.  The surgery would help her build ankle strength, and she’d be less likely to sprain her ankle from routine activity like moving right or left.

Related source:  ESPN.com

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