How do foot related sports injuries affect the body?

I pay particular attention to foot injuries and how it relates to the rest of the mechanics of the body. Even by looking at the callouses on your feet you can begin to make an assessment why the patient is having pain or dysfunction somewhere higher in the body. For example, in runners/sprinters that have an excess of callousing at the ball of the foot tells you that a majority of the weightbearing forces are at the front of the foot. Like pressing on a gas pedal, the calf musculature will have a tendency to contract more. Although in a majority of sports this may be good as it may let the athlete to be quick to accelerate, over time - especially with longer distance running - it can create a poor muscle imbalance where the gluteus maximus and medius are not being properly utilized for an efficient and powerful running stride. The gluteus maximus should be one of the largest muscles in your body. For athletes it is designed to give you stability and power. If the foot is placing too much force at the ball of the foot without adequate hip strength, an injury can occur at the foot due to excessive load as it compensates for what the hip should be doing.