If you are an athlete or do physically demanding tasks, you are at risk of getting foot and ankle trauma. When that happens, you will be unable to resume your activities if you do not act fast enough. As soon as you get the injury, it is advisable you reach out to a Brooklyn foot and ankle trauma practitioner for immediate assistance.
Once at the hospital, your doctor will employ particular treatments depending on the severity of your trauma. Which are these treatments that they may use, you ask? Here they are below.
Tenjet
This minimally invasive procedure uses high-pressure jets of saline to relieve tendon injury. In most instances, you can manage tendon injuries with ice and rest. If these methods do not heal your tendon injury within three months, Tenjet becomes your only option.
During the procedure, the podiatrist removes scar tissue and leaves behind an incision that does not require stitching. Next, they use ultrasound to identify the affected tissue causing you pain. The saline stream removes the diseased tissue, and you will experience some discomfort, which is normal. On average, you will heal after three months.
Physical Therapy
There are particular exercises you can do to ease foot and ankle trauma. Your physician may ask you to do ankle pump-ups that strengthen the shin muscles. All you need to do is point your toes upward for 30 seconds and switch to the other leg.
Next, your doctor could ask you to perform bent-knee wall stretches. They stretch the soleus muscle in the calf, which is helpful for patients with muscle atrophy. When you do this routine, you will start with three sets of 10 exercises for each leg.
Tendon Arthroscopy
Surgeons perform this surgical procedure to find out the cause of pain in the joint structure. First, they make incisions and insert an arthroscope to magnify the affected organ. Your doctor can examine everything happening in your leg from a projector. Once they sport the problem, they do the necessary repairs.
The beauty of this procedure is that you recover very quickly. That is because the surgeon only creates small incisions, which means you heal faster and handle-less tissue. This procedure is therefore recommended for athletes.
Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT)
ESWT is used to treat plantar fasciitis of the foot. Doctors pass the shockwaves to plantar fasciitis tissues through your heel. Since it uses mechanical energy sound waves, it improves blood flow to the affected part.
Since ESWT is non-invasive, you can return to your usual duties right away. However, your doctor will ask you to refrain from ice therapy or anti-inflammatory for two days. Also, your doctor will caution against engaging in high-impact exercises.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy
This procedure promotes fast healing because your doctor injects your foot with your plasma. To promote faster healing, they may mix it with thrombin and calcium chloride. Generally, plasma promotes healing by encouraging your body to grow more tissue.
PRP treats various conditions, such as arthritis, sprains, tendon injuries, and fasciosis. This is yet another procedure that athletes should consider if they want to resume playing immediately. Another thing to admire about PRP is that it will not cause side effects, so you would not need to rest before resuming normal routines.
Sometimes when you experience foot and ankle trauma, you may not immediately seek medical attention. You may assume the problem will disappear, yet you may not realize your injury’s seriousness. The more you delay treatment, the more you will be unable to walk properly. To be safe, see a podiatrist when you face any injury.
Foot and ankle trauma is painful and inconvenient, and there are preventive measures you could take. If you jog every morning, avoid areas with too many hills since you could slip. As for athletes, you should warm up to avoid injuries from overstretching your muscles.