4 Common Foot Injuries And How To Prevent Them
Playing sports, exercising, and running/walking are all great things you can do to help you stay healthy, relieve stress, and even lose weight. However, sports and exercise can do a number on your body's muscles, bones, and joints over time, increasing your risk of injury, especially in your feet. See below for some common foot injuries and ways you can prevent them.
Bone Fractures
If you have pain in the bones in your feet, you could have a stress bone fracture, especially if the pain doesn't go away after resting it. Be sure to see your orthopedic physician about this type of pain to prevent it from worsening. To prevent this type of fracture from occurring, be sure not to overwork your body when exercising or playing sports. Take time off in between workout days to give your body time to rest.
Plantar Fasciitis
If you feel pain in your heel or arch of your foot when you stand or walk, it could be plantar fasciitis. This is when the band of tissue in your foot (plantar fascia) becomes stretched too far, weakened, or inflamed. Prevent injury to this part of your foot by stretching before working out or playing a sport. Stretches such as placing your toes against the wall and pressing them into the wall to stretch your foot and your calf, or pointing your toes away from your body (while sitting), then pulling them up towards your shin can also help.
Shin Splints
Shin splints are quite painful. If you feel pain on the front of your shin or on the sides of your shin after working out or running, you may have shin splints. Help prevent shin splints by stretching before running, investing in a good quality shoe that provides plenty of support, and watching your form when running.
Blisters
Blisters on your feet can happen for any number of reasons, but if you play sports or exercise often, you may have experienced blisters at one point or another. Avoid getting blisters by wearing properly fitting shoes (too big or too small can cause blisters from rubbing), and wear socks that help wick away moisture and sweat, as the excess moisture can cause your feet to slip and slide in your shoes, causing friction.
If you have experienced any of these types of injuries or any other sports-related injury to your body, make an appointment with an orthopedic physician for a consultation on how to treat the injury and for information on how to prevent it to get you back to doing the things you enjoy. For more information, check out websites like http://www.advancedphysicaltherapyofsj.com.