Foot soreness can be frustrating during football, especially if it prevents you from finishing the game or practice. Because it can sometimes be caused by a serious injury, it is important to understand what can cause sore feet while playing football and how it can be remedied and prevented.
Symptoms
Foot soreness can occur suddenly during football or it can gradually develop. It can range from mild to a debilitating soreness. Additional symptoms can include pain at the joints of the feet or toes, tenderness when stretching your feet, warmth, swelling and inflammation. You can also experience loss of mobility or difficulty standing or running during or after playing football.
Causes
You can experience foot soreness during football if you overuse the muscles, cartilage, ligaments or tendons in your feet with excessive training or play. The repetitive motions of football, such as running, can also place stress on the feet and cause soreness. Playing or practicing on artificial turf can also trigger sore feet because it does not offer proper traction and can causes toe hyper-extension. Falling or a high-impact collision with another object or person can result in contusions or fractures of the foot. In addition, sudden changes of direction or dodging during football can result in sprains or strains. Some medical conditions, such as tendonitis, plantar fasciitis or a sprain of the big toe called turf toe can also cause foot soreness during football.
Remedies
Rest your feet and avoid exercise to ease pain and prevent additional injury. Place an ice pack or cold pack against the sore extremity, which will help reduce inflammation and pain by constricting blood vessels. Wrap an elastic bandage around your foot and elevate it above your heart. Take an analgesic such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen to help control symptoms. Seek medical attention if soreness is chronic, severe, you are unable to place weight on your feet or you notice extreme swelling or bruising. You may require surgery to repair the injury.
Tips
Always warm up with stretching and a light aerobic activity such as walking before your football practice or game. This will help prepare your body for exercise and decrease your chances of injury. Cool down afterward in the same fashion to help remove lactic acid from your blood and muscles, which can contribute to foot soreness. Always wear supportive cleats that have proper arch support.
References
- Sportsinjuryclinic.net: Turf Toe
- MassGeneral Hospital for Children: Athletic Injuries
- KidsHealth: Dealing With Sports Injuries
- Rice University: Overuse Foot Injuries in Runners
- The Merck Manuals: Approach to Sports Injuries
- Children's Memorial Hospital: Turf Toe (Sprain of the 1st Metatarsal-Phalengeal Joint)
