Tips To Help Runners Prevent Common Foot Injuries

Health & Medical Blog

Running everyday allows you to build up endurance and can reduce your risks of developing foot injuries; however, even if you run daily, it is when you start to increase your mileage that you increase your risk of foot injuries, like plantar fasciitis. There are three foot injuries that are common among runners, so it is important to know what runners can do if they develop them along with tips on how to prevent foot injuries. 

The Three Runner Injuries

The most common foot injuries you may face as an active runner include Achilles tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, and band friction syndrome. With each injury, you need to know if it is wise to continue running.

If you have an Achilles tendinitis, you should not continue to run through the pain. If you continue to run with this type of injury, it can lead to a more serious or longer-lasting injury. You should avoid running until that first step you take in the morning is pain-free. As long as your first morning step is painful, you are still injured and risk further injury by continuing to run. 

If you have plantar fasciitis, you can still take a daily run, but you have to tone it down to make your training load more manageable. This means reducing your running until the injury does not cause pain or alter your stride. Since you must cut back on running, supplement your workout with another activity, like swimming, that won't put any more stress on the feet. 

If you have band friction syndrome, at the first sign of injury, you should stop running and begin another form of exercise, like cross training. Choose cross training exercises that won't irritate the already inflamed area of the foot. You can begin running again when the pain starts to subside, but start out by doing short strides. 

Preventing Common Running Injuries

There are things you can do as a runner to help reduce your risk for developing the three common foot injuries. 

• Check your form, making sure your legs are relaxed and not tense while running
• Learn to make a mid-foot stride while running. Most runners hit the heel first, which increases the risk of injury, so train your feet to hit mid-foot instead
• Make sure you have proper fitting shoes. Any over- or under-pronation can affect your form when running.
• Decrease your running distance if any pain develops, and continue running a shorter distance until the pain improves

While you can treat foot injuries at home, if your pain interferes with your daily activities or you don't seem to be healing as quickly as you should, contact the Foot And Ankle Medical Center or a similar location to schedule an exam. They can diagnose foot pain and provide proper treatment to get you back up and running. 

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26 November 2014