Football can result in numerous injuries to participants — even if you wear shoulder pads, knee pads, a helmet and other protective equipment. Players frequently suffer shoulder, hip and back injuries due to excessive and forceful running, being tackled and slipping and falling while running. This type of rigorous activity is often to blame for injuries involving the feet, ankles and possibly upper leg, depending on the severity of the injury. Wearing ill-fitting shoes may also contribute to swelling of feet while playing football. Consult your doctor if pain and swelling persist.
Stress Fractures
Feet can easily suffer stress fractures from overuse or from the intense type of running necessary in football. A stress fracture is a hairline fracture, or very small crack, in any one of the bones constituting the foot, which causes swelling and pain. Metatarsals, or the bones connecting the center of the foot to the toes, frequently suffer stress fractures. Football players must constantly make abrupt twists and turns while running as hard as possible, which facilitate fractures of metatarsals. Being involved in a tackle or having your foot trampled on by other players while running can make tiny cracks in these bones, too.
Peroneal Tendon Tears
Functioning as ankle stabilizers, peroneal tendons are found on the outside of the ankles. These two tendons also assist in ankle movement — and are prone to injury when you play football. Tendinitis of the peroneals may occur if you've suffered previous ankle sprains, which is likely for football players. If your foot and ankle are mechanically unsound but the condition has not been detected, peroneal tendinitis may occur, causing swelling of the affected foot and ankle. If severe enough, you might need to use an ankle brace to alleviate stress on the tendon and stabilize the ankle.
Extensor Tendinitis
Extensor tendons are tendons located on the top of the foot, responsible for straightening the toes. The most common kind of extensor tendinitis is tibialis anterior inflammation, the Sports Injury Clinic website explains, usually caused by overexertion, muscle tightness in calves and fallen foot arches. Not warming up properly before practice or a game can increase your chances of suffering from tight calf muscles; microscopic tears that occur in these muscles during intense exercise can provoke painful spasms. Initial symptoms of extensor tendinitis include swelling, pain and an inability to lift the toes upward.
Improper Footwear
Because football places extreme stress on your feet, wearing properly fitting shoes is important in preventing foot injuries that cause pain and swelling. Wearing shoes that do not fit well may also cause corns, ingrown toenails and calluses that hurt when pressure is applied to them. Footwear that provides effective traction via well-made cleats is also vital to running without slipping, sliding or twisting ankles on the football field. Players who have suffered from previous foot and ankle injuries may benefit from wearing ankle supports along with professionally fitted shoes.
References
- Sports Injury Clinic: Inflammation of the Extensor Tendons of the Toes
- Soccer Stores: Wide Soccer Cleats
- University Foot and Ankle Institute: Peroneal Tendon Dysfunction | Peroneal Tendon Tear
- PodiatryNetwork.com: Tendonitis
- MayoClinic.com: Edema
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases: Sports Injuries
