As football season ends and hockey season is coming to a close, baseball season begins. America has carried on a love affair with baseball for over a century. Whether you are a professional baseball player or play in youth leagues, on adult softball teams, or pickup games with friends, your feet and ankles take a beating while you are playing.
Like all vigorous exercise activities, baseball and softball should be played sensibly and safely. Improper preparation and techniques can lead to injury, especially in the lower extremities. Baseball players of all levels should be aware of the various risks and potential sports injuries while playing the game. With the guidance of your podiatrist in New York, you can avoid sports injuries and life on the bench.
Common Sports Injuries
Ankle sprains may occur while running, fielding balls, stepping on or sliding into bases. Your New York podiatrist will help to determine the extent of the injury when you sprain your ankle. Injury might include possible peroneal tendon injuries fractures. Your podiatrist in New York will develop a treatment plan in order to properly heal your ankle. Failure to fully treat and rehabilitate a sprain may lead to chronic ankle instability and recurrent sprains.
Overuse or excessive training can also put some athletes on the bench with Achilles tendinitis or heel pain. The start and stop of baseball often creates pain and tightness in the calf and aggravation of the Achilles tendon. Regular stretching of the calf muscles gently and gradually before and after the game will help minimize the pain and stiffness.
Protect Your Feet: Wear Appropriate Shoes
There seems to be a shoe designed for every sport out there, but there is a method to the varying styles. Sport-specific shoes really can change your game and protect your feet from injury. For children under the age of 10, sneakers are appropriate for baseball, although they might want to wear cleats. There is no danger in wearing cleats, but they should be gradually introduced before being worn in the game. A young player needs to get a feel for cleats, which should not be worn off of the field.
While the improved traction of cleats may enhance play, it also leaves your ankles more susceptible to twists and turns. Any child with pre-existing foot conditions should see a podiatrist before putting on cleats and never put them in hand-me-downs. Spikes, which are made to be lighter and more flexible these days, perform the same function as cleats, but engage with the ground differently. These should also be worn with caution until the feel of how they engage with the turf is understood.
Watch for irritation, blisters or redness while wearing cleats because they can indicate a biomechanical problem in the legs or feet. Pain is a sure sign of a problem and should be addressed immediately. If wearing cleats causes you pain, discontinue wearing for a couple days and visit your New York foot doctor for further treatment and diagnosis.
When it comes to sports, it is important to protect your feet from injury. Activities such as football, baseball, soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse often lead to ankle injuries as a result of play on artificial surfaces, improper footwear, and/or inadequate stretching. Contact your podiatrist in New York if you exhibit any injuries from baseball or any other sport. Your podiatrist in New York can properly treat and offer prevention techniques so that you don’t sit on the bench for the season.