Is a foot or ankle injury threatening to take you out of the game? That’s not surprising. Whether you’re scoring a touchdown for the Griz, honing your basketball skills at the gym, or hiking Mount Sentinel’s iconic “M” Trail, your feet and ankles are the true MVPs. Pushing your body to the limits on the track, court, field, or dance floor puts tremendous stress on your feet, subjecting them to forces equal to several times your body weight. When podiatric injuries strike, they can disrupt your athletic progress and leave you sitting on the sidelines.
At Alpine Foot & Ankle Clinic, board-certified podiatrist Dr. Gregg Neibauer offers complete care for sports injuries affecting the feet and ankles. As an avid sports enthusiast who enjoys an active lifestyle, Dr. Neibauer understands the impact an injury can have on your athletic goals. His patient-centered approach prioritizes non- and minimally invasive treatments, including advanced options like Shockwave (EPAT/ESWT), to jumpstart your recovery.
Located in Missoula, we serve patients throughout Montana and northern Idaho. Discover how our team can help you recover and return to play as quickly and safely as possible.
Podiatric Sports Injuries We Address
All sports and physical activities carry a potential for injury from trauma or overuse. Trauma, such as falls or contact with objects or other players, can cause acute injuries requiring prompt medical attention. Meanwhile, overuse, or increasing the intensity, duration, or frequency of practice or play without giving your muscles, tendons, and bones enough time to adjust, can lead to chronic pain and discomfort.
Our experienced sports injuries specialist capably addresses a broad range of athletic foot and ankle injuries.
- Achilles tendon issues: The Achilles tendon runs down the back of the lower leg, attaching the calf muscles to the heel bone. Repetitive stress or overuse can cause the tendon to become swollen, inflamed, and painful, resulting in Achilles tendonitis. An Achilles tendon rupture, or tear, is an acute injury that requires prompt care.
- Broken bones and stress fractures: Complete breaks are acute, trauma-related injuries, while stress fractures are tiny cracks on the surfaces of bones that are often associated with overuse and worsen over time without treatment.
- Bursitis: Bursae are fluid-filled sacs that provide cushioning between the bones and tendons in your feet and ankles. Sports-related impacts, repetitive stress, or overuse can irritate and inflame the bursae, leading to bursitis pain and tenderness.
- Morton’s neuroma: Explosive moves and multidirectional changes can irritate and compress a nerve in the ball of the foot. Over time, this can cause the nerve to thicken, resulting in a neuroma. Morton’s neuroma pain is typically gradual and may be more—or less—painful, depending on your activity.
- Plantar fasciitis: Often attributed to overuse, structural abnormalities, or wearing shoes that lack support, plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the strong, fibrous ligament that connects your heel bone and toes. This condition causes stabbing pain in the bottom of the foot near the heel, which is more severe in the morning or when resuming activity after rest.
- Strains and sprains: Strains affect the muscles or tendons responsible for attaching muscles to bone, while sprains impact the bone-connecting ligaments in the foot or ankle. Swelling, tenderness, pain, bruising, muscle spasms, and weakness are common symptoms of both injuries. Sprains can cause instability in ankle or foot joints.
We Offer Wide-Ranging Sports Injuries Treatments to Help Active Patients Get Back in the Game
Don’t let a podiatric sports injury force you to give up your favorite activities or throw your athletic ambitions off track. Though sports injury treatment often requires a rest period or activity reduction, Alpine Foot & Ankle Clinic offers numerous therapies designed to kickstart your recovery and speed up the healing process.
Depending on your injury, sport, and Dr. Neibauer’s recommendations, your personalized sports injury treatment plan might include:
- Custom orthotics: These shoe inserts and insoles are made specifically for your feet, enabling them to provide pain- and pressure-relieving support and cushioning precisely where needed.
- Immobilization: After a broken bone or stress fracture, we might immobilize the affected foot or ankle in a cast or walking boot to encourage proper healing.
- Laser therapy: This painless, non-invasive option accelerates the healing process for sports injuries, utilizing specialized laser energy to decrease painful swelling, increase blood flow, and boost cellular reproduction.
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections: After spinning your blood in a centrifuge to concentrate its beneficial properties, we inject it at the site of the injury to relieve pain and stimulate healing.
- Shockwave (EPAT/ESWT): Shockwave therapy is an innovative and effective pain relief treatment that stimulates metabolism, improves circulation at the target area, and speeds up tissue repair by using a unique set of acoustic pressure waves.
- Stem cell therapy: This non-surgical, minimally invasive treatment injects amniotic stem cells into your pain or injury site to promote natural healing. Stem cell therapy is nearly painless, though, like any injection, it may involve mild discomfort. Most patients quickly resume basic activities. Dr. Neibauer can offer advice specific to your diagnosis.