With Spring right around the corner, Medford’s baseball fields will once again be filling up for practices and games. And as players lace up their cleats to get back into the game, they’re at risk for baseball foot injuries. Of course, baseball is far lower-impact than sports such as football or basketball; but the stress of running, pivoting and training—often in hard-edged cleats—can take a toll on your nails, feet, ankles, muscles and tendons. What are the signs of injury you should be watching for in baseball players? And how your podiatrists in Southern Oregon treat problems that arise? Here’s what you need to know.
The Top 6 Baseball Foot Injuries (And How to Treat Them) ![boy playing baseball]()
From the moment Spring training begins, these are the foot concerns you need to watch out for if you’re playing baseball or taking care of a baseball player.
1. Plantar fasciitis
Running and training in cleats can put extra pressure on your feet—and the supportive structures inside them. As such, playing baseball regularly can overstretch your plantar fascia—the band of connective tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot, from your heel to your toes. This stress can lead to inflammation, resulting in heel pain that’s
at its worst after long periods of inactivity, or when you first get out of bed in the morning. Initially, the pain will improve as you move through your day. But if you don’t seek treatment, that pain could become a chronic baseball foot injury.
Treatment Options
Rest, ice and stretching can help relieve the initial pain and inflammation of plantar fasciitis, helping resolve your heel pain. But if we want to keep the pain from coming back as soon as you return to the game, we’ll need to make sure your baseball cleats are the proper size and fit for your feet. And if you have a flat or high-arched foot, we may also need to add the support of custom orthotics to your cleats to protect you from heel pain in the future.
2. Achilles tendinitis
When baseball players overtrain—especially with lots of running—they may develop inflammation, swelling, and tightening of the Achilles tendon. Soon, you may experience swelling, tenderness, stiffness and pain above your heel and the back of your foot, especially if you stand on your toes or stretch your ankle.
Treatment Options
Like plantar fasciitis, we can treat Achilles tendinitis with rest, ice, physical therapy and—when indicated—anti-inflammatory medications. Custom orthotics can help take pressure off your tendon. And early treatment is critical to avoid a more serious complication, like a ruptured Achilles tendon.
3. Baseball Foot Injuries: Sprains and Strains
4. Fractures and Stress Fractures
Whether sliding into a base or pivoting to make a big play, action in the game of baseball can put excess strain on your ligaments, tendons and bones. Unfortunately, all these injuries share similar symptoms, while requiring different treatment plans.
With any of these baseball foot injuries, you could experience tenderness, swelling, pain, bruising and difficulty bearing weight. So if you have any of these symptoms, you’ll need to come into our Medford podiatry practice right away for a comprehensive exam and diagnosis.
Treatment Options
Sprains and strains will need RICE treatment—rest, ice, compression and elevation. Stress fractures will require rest, ice and a switch to very supportive foot wear. With any of these injuries, anti-inflammatory medication can also help reduce pain and speed your healing. If you fracture your foot or ankle bones, you will need to take weight off your affected limb to ensure healing. Depending on the severity of your injury, that could mean getting around in a walking boot, or removing all pressure by using crutches or a knee scooter. If you suffer a displaced or unstable fracture, we may need to repair the injury surgically before immobilizing your foot or ankle.
5. Ingrown Toenails
Ingrown toenails are common baseball foot injuries because the game is played in cleats. And, if your nail slams into the hard edge of that cleat during game play, the trauma to your nail bed can cause the direction of nail growth to change and turn inward. Symptoms include redness, pain and swelling around your nail (usually, the big toe nail, since this is your longest toe and most likely to hit the edge of your shoes. If infection sets in, you may also notice pus or drainage around the nail.
Treatment Options
In the office, we can safely remove the ingrown portion of nail and treat any infection. To prevent a recurrence of the problem, we can show you safer nail-trimming techniques, and address the fit of your cleats to prevent repeat trauma.
6. Turf Toe
This sprain of your big toe joint can happen when you try to push off on an artificial surface such as turf, causing your toe to bend unnaturally. Though more common in football players, it can also be a baseball foot injury that results in symptoms such as toe swelling, pain and difficulties with walking.
Treatment Options
Severe cases of turf toe may require surgical repair. However, in most cases, your injury will heal with RICE and the added assistance of anti-inflammatory medications.
Help for Athletic Injuries in Medford
If your toes, feet, heels or ankles hurt after baseball practice or during or after a game, it’s important to stop what you’re doing right away—never play or train through the pain. Instead, at the first sign of a problem, give us a call at 541-776-3338 or follow this link to request an appointment. The sooner you come into the office, the sooner we can address your baseball foot injuries and get you back in the game.