How does elite sports affect athletes?

From swollen ankles and bony legs to deformed toes, the British newspaper Sportmail lists the athletes most severely affected by competing at the highest level.

Cristiano Ronaldo's feet

Ronaldo caused a stir on social media when he posted a photo of himself resting after scoring the only goal that helped Al Nassr win against Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on March 16th. The 39-year-old striker posted a picture wearing Erakulis pants, designed to speed up recovery after matches, at the St Regis hotel in Saudi Arabia, which costs nearly $900 per night, with swollen feet.

"Look at the legs of a professional footballer who's been playing for 22 years. He must wake up in excruciating pain every day," one person wrote on social media platform X. "The price footballers pay that we can't see," another commented.

Ronaldo's swollen feet. Photo: Instagram / Cristiano Ronaldo

Over 22 years, Ronaldo played 1228 games for club and national team, enduring fouls, kicks, and stomps on his ankle week after week. While Ronaldo's ankle injury isn't obvious, there's a condition called "player's ankle." Repeated kicking, twisting, and bending can strain and stretch the ligaments, causing them to swell, thicken, or become inflamed.

Pawel Poljanski's leg

Poljanski may not be a household name, but you'd be hard-pressed to forget the feet of this former Polish professional cyclist. Poljanski, 33, raced for Tinkoff and Bora-Hansgrohe from 2014 to 2020 across numerous Grand Tours, including two Tour de France appearances.

In 2017, after completing stage 16, he posted a photo of his legs, covered in visible veins and with the area around his knees almost "rusted." He wrote on Instagram : "After 16 stages, I think my legs look a little tired."

Dr. Bradley Launikonis from the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Queensland explained the disturbing image. "After Poljanski competes, the veins become prominent. Blood flow is highly regulated through the arteries," he said. "Blood can pool there, and that's what's happening in this extreme case. There's blood flowing in the blood vessels, and that's why you see them so clearly. There's a high volume of blood being pushed into his legs for an extended period, and it's still there after training and competing."

Poljanski's legs.

Launikonis stated that this wouldn't happen with amateur athletes, but only with top athletes, especially professional cyclists who consistently compete in major races. Launikonis added that top cyclists receive twice the blood flow to their legs compared to amateur athletes.

"The amount of blood that normally flows down our legs is 5 liters per minute," he explained. "For professional athletes who aren't yet at the peak, the maximum training rate will be 20 liters per minute. Elite athletes will have double that rate, around 40 liters per minute. Blood can also pool there, and that's what's happening in this particular case."

Before Pojkanski, Chris Froome and Bartosz Huzarski had their deformed legs photographed after a tournament in 2014.

LeBron James' toes

LeBron, now 39, the icon of the Los Angeles Lakers, spent years training to become an NBA legend. But it seems his legs paid a heavy price in that journey.

A photo of LeBron on vacation in 2013 showed the American basketball star's toes incredibly deformed and curled up. LeBron's big toe could be seen fused to his second toe, and his smallest toe was almost pointing horizontally across his foot.

James's unusual right foot.

Last year, the British newspaper Sunsport reported that a foot surgeon revealed LeBron may be spending up to $7,000 a month to keep his feet in good condition, including foot care, orthotics, and custom-made athletic shoes.

"LeBron also has a complicated left foot that requires surgery to remove calluses and prevent ulcers. Now there's rehabilitation for his right foot as well. That's a huge bill, up to $85,000 a year," the doctor revealed.

Adam Lallana's toes

Lallana, currently playing for Brighton, is also familiar with injuries. The 35-year-old midfielder has faced persistent problems over the years.

Hamstrings, groin, and knees are among the worst ailments, but what about toes? After Liverpool's 2018 win against Southampton, the English midfielder posted a photo of his toe, which had turned an unbelievably yellowish-white color. "Any tips on how to thaw my feet?" he wrote on Instagram .

Many users believe Lallana is suffering from "Raynaud's phenomenon" - a condition that causes blood flow to the toes or fingers to stop.

Lallana's toes were pale white.

Podiatrist Dr. Judith Anders wrote: "From the photo, the symptoms appear similar to Raynaud's disease – an abnormal reaction to cold that causes the toes to change color. Simply put, the presence of Raynaud's means that the nerves supplying blood vessels become overly sensitive to temperature. There may also be an emotional factor. If a person is exposed to cold but is also quite stressed, this combination can exacerbate the problem, causing the fingers and toes to feel numb and cold."

The doctor continued his analysis: "Blood flow is effectively stopped, leading to a temporary loss of circulation to the affected area. Then, as the blood vessels dilate and blood begins to flow again, the fingers may change color, initially turning blue and then bright red."

Neymar's ankle

Neymar suffered a swollen ankle shortly after the opening group stage match against Serbia at the 2022 World Cup. The Brazilian striker posted a photo showing his ankle needing protection and wrote: "Let's go!"

Neymar returned in time after the group stage, but couldn't help Brazil progress further. He opened the scoring in the first period of extra time in the quarter-final against Croatia, but "Selecao" lost 2-4 on penalties.

Neymar's ankle is swollen.

Darrell Armstrong's feet

Armstrong played 891 NBA games and is currently an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2017, Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki shared a photo of Armstrong's toes on Twitter , haunting fans. "Armstrong is working with these dinosaur toes," Nowitzki wrote.

Armstrong's foot with a noticeably misaligned big toe.

Armstrong's big toe curled inward while his second toe moved upwards over the other four. Basketball players often experience problems with overlapping toes and wider feet. With the rapid movements, jumps, and landings, they are subjected to a lot of pressure.

Hong Duy

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