Sports Injury Assessment
Whether you’re a seasoned runner, a weekend footballer, a keen walker, or simply enjoy staying active, a sports injury can quickly disrupt your routine and affect your quality of life.
At Sussex Total Foot Care, we specialise in diagnosing and treating sports injuries affecting the feet, ankles, and lower limbs. Our experienced podiatrists use evidence-based assessment and rehabilitation techniques to relieve pain, restore function, and help you return to your sport safely and confidently.
What Causes Sports Injuries?
Sports injuries can occur suddenly following trauma or develop gradually through repetitive strain. Many injuries are caused by a combination of training errors, poor biomechanics, muscle weakness, reduced flexibility, or inappropriate footwear.
Common contributing factors include:
- Sudden increases in training intensity or distance
- Running technique and biomechanics
- Poor foot posture
- Muscle weakness or imbalance
- Tight calf muscles or hamstrings
- Inadequate recovery between activities
- Previous injuries
- Unsupportive or worn footwear
- Uneven training surfaces
Identifying the underlying cause is essential to reduce the risk of repeated injuries.
Common Sports Injuries We Treat
At Sussex Total Foot Care, we regularly assess and treat:
- Plantar fasciitis
- Achilles tendinopathy
- Ankle sprains
- Shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome)
- Stress fractures
- Peroneal tendon injuries
- Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction
- Metatarsalgia
- Heel pain
- Morton’s neuroma
- Turf toe
- Tendon and ligament injuries
- Running-related foot pain
- Overuse injuries
Whether your injury developed during running, football, tennis, golf, cycling, gym training, or another activity, we aim to identify the reason it occurred and support your recovery.
Symptoms of a Sports Injury
Sports injuries can present in different ways depending on the tissues involved.
Common symptoms include:
- Pain during or after exercise
- Swelling
- Tenderness
- Stiffness
- Reduced flexibility
- Difficulty walking or running
- Weakness
- Instability
- Bruising
- Pain that returns every time you exercise
If you experience severe pain, significant swelling, deformity, or are unable to bear weight following an injury, seek urgent medical assessment.
How We Diagnose Sports Injuries
At Sussex Total Foot Care, every patient receives a detailed clinical assessment.
Your appointment includes:
- Discussion of your symptoms and sporting activities
- Review of training history and recent changes
- Previous injury assessment
- Foot and ankle examination
- Lower limb assessment
- Muscle strength and flexibility testing
- Biomechanical assessment
- Gait analysis
- Footwear assessment
Where clinically appropriate, we may recommend imaging such as X-rays, ultrasound scans, or MRI to help confirm the diagnosis.
Sports Injury Treatments
Every rehabilitation programme is tailored to your injury, goals, and activity level.
Treatment may include:
Biomechanical Assessment
Understanding how your feet and lower limbs function can help identify movement patterns contributing to injury.
Running and Gait Analysis
For runners and active individuals, analysing walking and running mechanics helps identify factors that may increase stress on muscles, tendons, and joints.
Orthotic Insoles
Where clinically indicated, orthoses can improve foot mechanics, reduce excessive loading, and support recovery.
Rehabilitation Exercises
A structured exercise programme helps improve strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance while reducing the risk of future injury.
Manual Therapy
Hands-on techniques may be used to improve joint mobility and reduce stiffness where appropriate.
Footwear Advice
Choosing the right footwear for your sport can play an important role in injury prevention and performance.
Return-to-Sport Planning
Returning to activity too quickly can increase the risk of reinjury. We provide clear guidance on progressing safely back to training and competition.
Why Choose Sussex Total Foot Care?
Patients across Worthing and West Sussex choose Sussex Total Foot Care because we offer:
- HCPC-registered podiatrists
- Expert assessment of sports injuries
- Evidence-based rehabilitation
- Biomechanical and gait analysis
- Personalised treatment plans
- Modern podiatry care
- Advice focused on preventing future injuries
We work with people of all activity levels—from recreational walkers to competitive athletes—helping them recover safely and perform at their best.
