What Are the Common Foot and Ankle Injuries from CrossFit? 

Generally, CrossFit increases injury risk due to sustained high intensity of exercise.

Some problems occur in the foot and ankle due to cross-fit exercise. They are as follows:

  • Achilles Tendon
  • Plantar Fasciitis
  • Sprained Ankle
  • Lisfranc Injury

Achilles Tendon

The Achilles tendon is a fibrous band of tissue that links the muscles in your calf to your heel. The strength and flexibility of this tendon are necessary for jumping, running, and walking. Your Achilles tendon bears a lot of stress and pressure during everyday activities and athletic and recreational play. If it becomes inflamed, swollen, and irritated, it is called tendonitis. 

Symptoms of Achilles Tendon:

  • Pain down the back of your leg or near your heel
  • Pain that gets worse when you are active
  • A stiff, sore Achilles tendon when you first get up
  • Pain in the tendon the day after exercising
  • Swelling with pain that gets worse as you are active during the day
  • Thickening of your tendon
  • Bone spurs on the heel bone
  • Difficulty flexing the affected foot
  • A pop sound and sudden sharp pain can mean a ruptured tendon.

Treatment of Achilles Tendon:

  • Rest
  • Ice
  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for pain relief, such as ibuprofen or Naproxen
  • Specific exercises to strengthen your calf muscles
  • Physical therapy
  • Eccentric strength training. This type of exercise helps strengthen your calf muscles.
  • Low-impact activities, such as swimming
  • Heel lifts in shoes, orthotic shoes, cast, splint, or a walking boot
  • Extracorporeal shockwave therapy. This treatment uses high-energy shockwave impulses to help stimulate the healing process in damaged tendon tissue. This treatment is not often used. However, your healthcare provider may recommend it to see whether you can improve without surgery.

Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis causes pain in the bottom of the heel. The plantar fascia is a thick, weblike ligament that connects your heel to the front of your foot. It acts as a shock absorber and supports the arch of your foot, helping you walk.

Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis:

  • Pain on the bottom of the heel or nearby.
  • Increased pain after exercise (not during).
  • Pain in the arch of the foot.
  • Pain is worse in the morning or when you stand after sitting for a long time.
  • A swollen heel.
  • Pain that continues for months.
  • A tight Achilles tendon. (80% of people report this symptom.) Your Achilles tendon connects your calf muscles to your heel.

Treatments of Plantar Fasciitis:

  • Stretching your calf muscles.
  • Wearing supportive, sturdy, well-cushioned shoes and not wearing sandals or flip-flops that do not have built-in arch support and not walking with bare feet.
  • Use appropriate shoe inserts, arch supports, or custom-made foot orthotics.
  • Using a night splint to reduce tightness in the calf muscle.
  • Massaging the area.
  • Putting ice on the area three to four times per day for 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Limiting physical activity, including prolonged standing.
  • Take over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®) or naproxen (Aleve®).
  • Losing weight.
  • Using crutches.

Sprained Ankle 

A sprained ankle is a common injury when the tissue that connects your ankle bones and supports your ankle (ligaments) is torn or stretched beyond its limits, often after a fall, ankle roll, or twist.

Symptoms of Sprained Ankle:

  • Pain, especially when putting weight on your ankle.
  • Tenderness to the touch.
  • Swelling.
  • Bruising.
  • Difficulty walking.

Treatments of Sprained Ankle:

For most ankle sprains, healthcare providers recommend using the PRICE method for the first 24-48 hours after injury. PRICE stands for protection, rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

  • Protection: Use crutches or apply a splint or brace to limit the use of your injured ankle.
  • Rest:Limit physical activities that may cause stress to the sprain (no running, jumping, exercising).
  • Ice: Apply ice or a cold pack in a towel to your ankle in 20-minute increments to reduce swelling.
  • Compression: Gently wrap your ankle in an elastic bandage to help decrease swelling.
  • Elevation: Raise your ankle on pillows while you’re sitting or lying down so that it’s higher than your heart.

If your sprain is very painful and swollen, or you’re having trouble walking and putting pressure on your ankle, visit Fulshear Foot and Ankle for treatment.

Lisfranc Injury

A Lisfranc injury can occur in the bones, joints, or ligaments of the Lisfranc joint complex in the middle foot. This type of injury is relatively rare and can sometimes be misdiagnosed.

Symptoms of Lisfranc injury:

Symptoms of Lisfranc fractures may appear like many other foot injuries. Therefore, it is essential to have any foot injury adequately diagnosed.

Common symptoms of Lisfranc injuries include:

  • A swollen and painful foot, especially on the top.
  • Pain that worsens when standing or walking.
  • Inability to walk without aid, such as crutches.
  • Bruising on the top or bottom of the foot.

Bruising on the bottom of the foot indicates a Lisfranc injury, but bruising does not occur in every case.

Treatment of Lisfranc injury:

  • The primary treatment of Lisfranc injury is rest, ice, and elevation immediately after the injury. 
  • Walking on the injured foot should be avoided. A doctor should examine the foot as soon as possible.
  • The quicker treatment is initiated, the easier it is to reduce the fractures, and sometimes an open surgical procedure can be avoided.
  • In some more uncomplicated cases of Lisfranc injury, where the ligaments are not completely torn, and there are no fractures or dislocations, treatment may include wearing a cast for as little as six weeks. During this period, no weight can be put on the injured foot. Afterward, the person will need to wear a weight-bearing cast and have regular follow-ups.

How Fulshear Foot and Ankle can help you?

You should visit us at Fulshear Foot and Ankle if you are experiencing any foot and ankle injury due to CrossFit like:

  • A tight Achilles tendon.
  • A swollen and painful foot.
  • Difficulty in walking.