Sprained feet have varying symptoms depending on the degree of strain, with tenderness and swelling being common. Such injuries occur when ligaments are stretched beyond their limit, often during strenuous activities. Minor sprains may require rest and pain medication, while more serious ones may require a cast or surgery. Foot sprains are not common, and ankle sprains are more likely to occur. Athletes may wear less flexible shoes to prevent excessive flexing.
The signs of a sprained foot generally vary according to the type of strain a person suffers from. There are three different “degrees” used to describe sprained feet. First degree is a very minor sprain with tiny ligament tears, while second degree involves major injuries and a third degree sprain is a total tear in some ligaments in the foot. The common symptoms among all three are tenderness and swelling, which will generally get worse along with the severity. More extreme sprains also result in significant bruising, and third-degree sprains can render the foot completely useless.
Ligaments are generally quite flexible, and ligament injuries usually occur when someone tries to stretch them beyond their ability. A sprained foot usually occurs when someone tries to twist too suddenly or falls embarrassingly. Such a movement can stretch the ligament to its limit and beyond, at which point tears will usually appear. For a third degree sprained foot, the injury is often quite severe and it is not uncommon for these problems to involve broken bones as well.
A sprained foot occurs much more easily if someone is doing something relatively strenuous. This generally includes things like athletics or extreme outdoor activities like mountain climbing. For this reason, it is very common for foot sprain sufferers to be athletes, whether professional or amateur. It’s also possible for a sprained foot to occur while someone is doing something as trivial as walking down a flight of stairs, but it’s much more common in some sports, especially soccer and dancing.
If someone has a minor foot sprain, doctors may not do much about it. There may be a recommendation for bed rest, and a person may be given a prescription for pain medication. More serious distortions require more drastic measures. For example, your doctor may actually put your foot in some sort of cast to keep it in place so it has a better chance of healing. In some situations, surgery may also be needed to repair damaged ligaments.
According to experts, foot sprains aren’t all that common. It takes a relatively unusual movement to actually strain the ligaments in your foot, because most natural movements don’t put much stress on them. In cases where someone puts strain on the ligaments in the foot, it is more common for the ankle to sprain while the foot remains uninjured. Athletes and others at serious risk sometimes wear less flexible shoes, which can prevent the foot from being excessively flexed.
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