April, otherwise known as 'Foot Health Awareness Month', brings attention to an important part of your body. While you're out enjoying an active lifestyle this spring, remember that all foot-heavy activities, such as running, biking, and skating can lead to serious injuries. If you’re injured or feel pain in your feet, let IMUA Orthopedics, Sports & Health be your first stop for orthopedic recovery and sports medicine!

Here are some of the common sports injuries IMUA Orthopedics treats:

• Tendonitis. This condition causes pain, swelling, or thickness of the Achilles tendon. Due to cellular degeneration of the tendon, it’s common to hear a crackling sound when you touch a tendon with tendonitis.
• Shin Splints. If you start a run and feel a burst of pain in your shins, you likely have shin splints! The pain comes from repeated trauma to muscle tissue surrounding the tibia, and affects either the front or inner portion of the shin. As you run, pain from shin splints will usually subside. However, pain that lasts throughout your run should be evaluated by a doctor. Avoid running if you think you have shin splints.
• Patella Femoral Syndrome (PFS). This syndrome kicks in when you bend your knee. PFS is localized around the kneecap, or patella. Any running, walking, or sitting will cause the knee to bend, which causes any pain associated with PFS to increase.
• Plantar Fasciitis. If your foot hurts when you get out of bed in the morning, that’s a sign of plantar fasciitis. This condition causes pain and inflammation along the inner aspect of your foot’s arch. This pain spikes after long periods of being idle.

If you suffer from pain associated with any of these conditions, seek out an orthopedist as soon as possible. IMUA Orthopedics, Sports & Health has a team of orthopedic surgeons who are trained in healing sports injuries. To set up an appointment with an orthopedic doctor, call (808) 521-8170 or visit IMUA Orthopedics online to learn more about their services.