Foot and ankle injuries in combat sports
Anatomy: The foot and ankle contain 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 ligaments, muscles and their tendons. The foot must act as both a mobile adapter and a rigid lever. Think of the difference when running on a track or beach sand. On the track your foot comes into contact with a surface of the same resilience (rubber), depth (level) and overall “feel” with every step. Running on sand? That varies based on how far you are from the water; if the sand is soft or hard packed; soft sand gives way as soon as you place your foot down. In other words, unpredictable.
The foot contains millions of nerves in the joints to relay signals about its position in space, how fast muscle is contracting and the length that ligaments are stretching. This information is sent to the spine and brain to be processed and responses can be automatic or controlled voluntarily.
Injury: Lateral ankle sprains occur when the foot is forcefully plantar flexed and inverted (toes pointing away and inward), tearing the anterior talofibular ligament. A sharp, pinching type pain may be present when you lunge or squat.
Screening for foot and ankle fractures: If you cannot place weight on the foot for five steps immediately after an injury and you have pain in one of the four locations identified in the picture, you should be on your way to have an x-ray as soon as you finish reading this sentence.
Prevention: Up to 7 times the weight of your body is supported on a single foot when running. Small injuries can quickly turn into big ones if not properly tended to. Fractures need to be casted, or operated on depending on the type and severity of injury.
Running in the sand or on a grass field is an excellent way to build the smaller muscles of the foot which help with overall stability, reducing risk for injury. Changing the elevation on a treadmill, walking backwards or sideways can assist in developing the lower leg muscles. Proper range of motion is important as well. Lack of motion in one area can lead to compensatory movements, transferring forces to a tendon or bone that would not otherwise accept it. This can lead to stress fractures or tears of the muscle-tendon unit.