Soccer Season: Prime Time for Foot & Ankle Injuries

When soccer season is in full swing parents and coaches are strongly urged to think twice before coaxing young, injury-prone soccer players to “play through” foot and ankle pain.

In skeletally immature kids, starting and stopping and moving side to side on cleats that are little more than moccasins with spikes, is a recipe for foot and ankle sprains and worse. Kids will play with lingering, nagging heel pain that, upon testing, can turn out to be a stress fracture that can be very serious. By playing with pain, they can’t give their team 100 percent and they make their injuries worse, which prolongs their time out of soccer.

Symptoms of stress fractures include pain with activity, redness, and swelling with possible bruising. Treatment usually involves rest and sometimes casting. Some stress fractures heal poorly and can require surgery.

The constant running associated with soccer can place excessive stress on developing bones. Pain from overuse often stems from inflammation around the growth plate of the heel bone. The growth plates to the heel are still open and bones are still growing and maturing until children are about 13 to 16 years old. Rest, ice, anti-inflammatory medications and, in some cases, immobilization of the foot normally relieve this type of heel pain. Custom inserts can be helpful in kids with recurrent heel pain of this type.

Other types of overuse injuries are Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis (heel pain caused by inflammation of the tissue extending from the heel to the toes). Quick, out-of-nowhere ankle sprains are also common to soccer. If the ankle stays swollen for days and is painful to walk or even stand on, it could be a fracture. Ankle injuries should always be evaluated by a foot and ankle specialist to assess the extent of the injury.