Although we practice in Florida, we treat many winter sports injuries. This is because many Central Floridians travel to participate in snow sports such as alpine skiing, cross country skiing, or snowboarding. Some are injured, and they seek initial or follow-up treatment when they return home.

The most popular winter sports are alpine skiing, cross country skiing, and snowboarding. Each of these sports has specific types of  injuries.

Alpine skiing, also called downhill skiing, is the most popular winter sport, with some 18 million participants in the USA and over 200 million worldwide. It involves descending a hill or mountain on skis in a type of “controlled sliding”. In alpine skiing, the ski is attached to a boot with bindings. Prior to the 1970’s, many lower extremity injuries were due to faulty binding design. Since the binding designs have improved, such injuries have decreased by over 50%. Now, most alpine ski injuries are sprains of knee or shoulder from falls. Tibial fractures also occur from falls. The head or neck are injured in 18% of injuries, but the use of helmets has decreased the severity of such injuries. Foot injuries include nail injuries such as ingrown nails, and bleeding under the nail, both usually from a tight ski boot. This tightness can also cause pain in the forefoot joints.

Cross-country, or Nordic, skiing is a completely different sport, with 5 million participants in the USA. It is usually done on flatter surfaces and is a very strenuous cardiovascular exercise. Cross country skis are considerably longer than alpine skis. They are attached to the boot only in the forefoot area. The heel lifts off   of the ski and when it comes back down, propels the ski forward. Also, in contrast to alpine skiing in which the poles are used for balance and turning, the poles in cross country skiing are used to forcefully propel the body forward.

The most common cross country skiing  injuries are sprains of the knee and thumb (from pole use). More overuse and cold injuries (hypothermia and frostbite) are seen in cross country skiing than in alpine skiing.

Snowboarding is yet another popular winter sport, with 9 million participants in the USA. This sport differs from both types of skiing in that no poles are used. The boarder balances on the snowboard and glides down the mountain, somewhat like surfing or skateboarding on snow. Snowboarding has less knee injuries than skiing, but more ankle and wrist injuries. Wrist injuries usually occur when the boarder falls backward and lands on the wrists. Shoulder and clavicle injuries are also common from falling. Interestingly, 8% of snowboarding injuries occur from loading or unloading on the ski lift.

Most winter sports injuries are treated conservatively. The exceptions to this would be certain types of fractures.

The doctors at Melbourne Podiatry Associates are themselves winter sports enthusiasts and have considerable experience and expertise in the treatment of winter sports injuries. Call us for your appointment.

Go Gators!

Go Dawgs!

Go ‘Noles!

Let’s Go Pitt!

Football season has arrived, and with it the hearty cheers for our favorite teams! Be it collegiate, professional, high school, or youth league, football is a popular sport, loved by millions.

This uniquely American sport evolved from rugby and its other British variations during the 1800’s. Sports historians consider the game between Rutgers and Princeton in 1869 to be the first modern “football” game. Many modifications of the sport have occurred since then.

As a dangerous contact sport, football does have the potential for serious injuries, particularly of the head, neck, and spinal cord. However, these injuries are not common. A recent study from the National Library of Medicine found the most common injury types to be muscle strains (40% of total injuries); contusions (bruises) (25%); dislocations (15%); fractures(10%); and concussions (5%).

Of specific injuries, the 10 most common were :

1. Concussion
2. Jumper’s knee (Pain around kneecap)
3. Foot fractures
4. Shin splints (Muscle strain along shin)
5. Achilles tendinitis
6. Ankle sprain
7. Rotator cuff injuries (shoulder)
8. Knee ACL (Anterior cruciate ligament ) injuries
9. Hamstring injury (Muscle at back of thigh)
10. Quadricep injury (Muscle on front of thigh)

Interestingly, of these 10 injuries, 8 involve the lower extremity. In our offices, we frequently treat many of these , especially ankle sprain, foot fractures, Achilles tendinitis, and even Achilles tendon rupture.

Injury prevention strategies continue to reduce overall incidence of injuries. These include adequate pre- and post- game stretching, proper hydration, proper gear, and proper training technique.

The doctors of Melbourne Podiatry Associates are experts in the treatment of football injuries. If you or a loved one suffer a sports injury, please call our office for and appointment.

Dance, or the movement of the body to music, has been done in every country since before recorded history. Dance has been used for many purposes, and the variety of types of dance is endless. Interestingly, dance appears to be a rather uniquely human activity. Although many animals can be taught dance movements, studies show that only the elephant and parrot can spontaneously move to music!

Dance today in western countries is primarily done for recreation and sport. Lower extremity injuries are common in dancers because of the physical demands of dynamic overload, extreme positions and motions, and overuse. Additionally, many types of dance are done without shoes or in thin shoes without support, such as the ballet slipper.

Of all types of dance, ballet has the highest injury rates . The most common dance injuries that are seen in all dance forms are most common in ballet. These include sesamoiditis, flexor hallucis tendinitis, os trigonum syndrome, anterior ankle impingement, and stress fractures.
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Sometimes you might notice some thick areas of skin on your foot, possibly even causing some pain. It could be a corn or callus, but what is the difference between the two?

A corn gets its name from its resemblance to a corn kernel. It is a small, circular, thickened area of the skin of the foot , usually involving the toes. Its medical name is clavus. Corns are hard in the middle and usually form after repeated pressure on the skin, such as rubbing by a shoe.

A Callus is a localized thickening of the skin, usually found on the bottom of the foot. It results from friction and pressure. A callus can vary in size, and does not have the hard center that a corn has, so may not be as painful. Sometimes, however, a deep nucleated callus may form directly beneath a metatarsal bone and can be very painful. These growths are called intractable plantar keratoses.
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