Problems heels in sports: Prevention and treatment
To be affected are mainly sports: when you feel a sharp pain in the heel area as a result of an inflammatory state is spoken of heel spurs (actually in medical terms is more properly tallonidia or heel pain). The causes of this problem can be many, such as tendonitis, bursitis, stress fractures, metabolic disorders … Most of the time the heel pain is due to inflammation of the fibrous connective tissue bundles that run along the sole of the foot, from the heel to the forefoot, in practice, due to excessive voltage at the expense of the plantar fascia, the tissue is torn in places. This problem is called plantar fasciitis and frequently affects athletes in the jump and the race. It should also be said that the tallonidia can also occur as a result of factors such as poor posture, too intense activity or unsuitable footwear.
The tallonidia, which can be either mono or bilateral, affects on average between 9 and 20% of the population and mainly affects women in overweight middle-aged and the young runner. In addition to the race, among other sports at risk tallonidia we can mention soccer, basketball, volleyball and running. Great importance is also the land on which they practice sports activities, which must not be too rigid, and athletic training, which is often not adequate to the effort you are going to accomplish.
How to protect your heels
As soon as you notice the symptoms of heel strikes, it is advisable to suspend activity until they have recovered. Generally, everything is resolved in a period ranging from a few days to three weeks at the most, however, it is important to address the problem immediately to avoid further complications. It is unwise for example take painkillers in order to continue their workouts. Better instead put to rest, apply ice several times a day and, if the pain persists, consult a specialist to perform accurate tests and to identify the most suitable treatment.
You may also like to read another article on MenHealthCare: How To Protect Your Ankles
Possible remedies for the heel strikes
In the case of plantar fasciitis can be useful to make some stretching exercises for plantar fascia, the calf and the Achilles tendon. It may also use physical therapies such as massage, laser therapy and iontophoresis. Very useful are also the bandage of the party concerned to put at rest the muscles and tendons, and orthopedic devices designed to correct biomechanical imbalances. They are commonly available on the market of the heel silicone or other material to be applied inside of the footwear in order to banked the heel decreasing the load on the Achilles tendon. Devices of this type are very useful in case of recovery after an injury or after a surgical operation. Preventively ultimately it can also serve normal running insoles, which will also help to prevent relapses.
