At North Jersey Podiatry, we’ve seen many patients have to endure much more pain and treatment for a foot or ankle injury than was necessary because they didn’t seek treatment promptly when the injury occurred. When a podiatric injury is not an obvious emergency, patients tend to–excuse the pun– drag their feet about getting to the foot doctor. Don’t believe these common myths:
“My child should just shake it off and play through the pain—that’s what star athletes do.”
Actually, that approach is more likely to get your young athlete permanently sidelined. Even minor injuries to the foot or ankle can be made worse by continuing to put stress and pressure on them. Take your child’s complaints of foot or ankle pain seriously. Better to miss a game or two than to have them suffer from long-term pain and disability.
“I can walk on it, it can’t be broken.”
This is an absolute falsehood. There are 26 bones in your foot. It is quite possible to break one or more of them and still be able to bear weight on it. This is precisely why it’s important to let our podiatrist, Dr. Paul G. Klein, examine your foot and get x-rays or other imaging studies done to accurately assess the nature of your injury.
“The pain is subsiding; my injury must be getting better.”
Decrease or even disappearance of pain may feel good but it’s not necessarily a good sign. In many instances, particularly for ankle sprains, the pain may be the worst at the time of the injury then decrease over the next 24-48 hours. This does not mean that damage has not been done, however. In fact, one of the reasons for chronic weak ankles and ankle pain is the fact that patients discontinue therapy and other treatments when the pain stops. Full rehabilitation to an injury requires repair of the damaged area and strengthening of surrounding tissue as well.
“I should walk around for a few days and see how it goes. If I go to the foot doctor he is going to tell me to stay off my foot for weeks and I don’t have time for that.”
No one has time for an injury but putting off treatment now can result in long-term disability and chronic pain down the road. Don’t delay. If you have a foot or ankle injury, contact Dr. Klein at our Wayne, NJ office today by calling: (973) 595-1555.
