Stress fractures are small, incomplete breaks to the bone. These fractures present as small cracks in the bone, and while the break is small, a stress fracture is still very uncomfortable. If you have a stress fracture, you are likely experiencing pain, weakness, and swelling. Your symptoms might be mild or severe, depending on the location of the stress fracture.
Sprains and strains: Sprains and strains are caused by minor tears or stretching. Note, this does not mean stretching as in warm ups, but when an area is suddenly stretched further than it is intended.
Shoulder injuries are one of the most common injuries in wrestling. Popular moves like head-levers, armbars and hammerlocks place immense pressure on the shoulder joint. It’s not uncommon for wrestlers to experience rotator cuff or ligament tears as a result.
The condition is common among people who live active lifestyles or are on their feet a lot. Over time, the plantar fascia ligaments wear down because they are essentially shock absorbers for your feet. When too much pressure is put on the ligaments, they can tear and become damaged, resulting in inflammation, heel stiffness and pain.
Sever’s disease is one of most common causes of heel pain in children. It often occurs during growth spurts and is an inflammatory condition of the growth plate in the heel bone. Running, jumping, and being active lead to repetitive stress on the growth plate as the foot strikes the ground. This results in inflammation in the growth plate, which causes heel pain.
The most common locations of pain for plantar fasciitis are the central-medial arch, plantar-medial heel at the beginning of the arch, or the central-plantar heel. The pain is described as sharp, stabbing pain when weight is placed on the foot, typically after a long period of rest. The pain usually subsides a bit as you get moving but you can still feel a dull ache in your heel all day.
Ingrown toenails typically occur on the big toe, where the nail is cut short near the tip of the toe. This is then aggravated by placing your ailing toe into a shoe with a too tight toe box which, in turn, causes your toes to be pressed together and creates an abnormal amount of pressure on the nail. The constant pressure results in inflammation and pain.
Many injuries that young ones sustain occur from the knees down – their feet and lower legs bearing the brunt of all their jumps, runs and kicks.
Something that’s not an injury but IS something to keep an eye on is mild “torsional” imbalances – you might know this as “in-toeing” or “out-toeing” (aka, “pigeon toed” or “duck footed”). This is pretty common in the youth population, with the vast majority of kids grow out of these imbalances with no medical intervention whatsoever; however, they can increase the risk of injury and, therefore, should be monitored in regards to the susceptibility of foot and/or ankle injury.
Try to NOT walk barefoot if at all possible. Hot concrete and sand can easily burn the bottoms of our feet. And there’s no telling where you might pick up an icky case of athlete’s foot or ringworm (even the ritziest hotels, pools, and country clubs aren’t immune to these things). Wear flip flops in the communal shower areas, and even in your hotel room (if on vacation)
While detasseling is a rite of passage for many – and a job that many teens pick up summer after incredibly hot summer – it’s always good to review some of the dangers (injury and illness) associated with this particular activity. Regardless of whether or not detasseling is “old hat” to you, or if you/your teen is a detasseling newbie, it’s always good to know the safety basics.
