Right Side Pain

Posts Tagged ‘foot pain’

In a basketball game, it is not uncommon for a player attempting to make a layup to be encountered by an opponent seeking to block the shot. The players will often make contact, causing them to land on one another. The collision can be violent enough to cause injury. Injuries often located in the lower extremities.

In the above scenario, a player may land awkwardly and suffer a leg sprain or ankle or knee sprain. Ankle sprains are the most common basketball injuries and often occur when a player lands on another player’s foot or the ankle rolls too far outward. This can lead to side foot pain.

A sprain is a stretching or tearing of ligaments or joint capsules that connect one bone to another and stabilize joints and prevent excessive movement. More often, sprains occur when a joint is forced from its normal range of motion, by rapid changes in direction or by a collision. Common locations for sprains are the ankles, wrists and knees.

Muscle relaxants work quite well for relieving muscle pain related to injuries, but are not effective for many other types of pain, such as the side foot pain mentioned earlier if it is related to joint damage. Muscle relaxants do not heal injuries, but they do relax muscles and help ease discomfort and stop muscle spasms.

Since sprains vary in severity, treatment depends on the severity of the injury. To treat a sprain, keep the joint still. A short period of immobilization will go a long way in helping the ligaments heal.

After healing has taken place, try some special exercises to strengthen the muscles that help hold your ankle in place. If your muscles and ligaments are not strong enough to prevent re-injury, you might need surgery to repair the damage and restore its function.

Another key to speedy recovery is an early evaluation by a medical professional. Once the injury has been determined, a treatment plan can be developed. With proper care, most sprains will heal without long-term side effects.