Preparing Your Home in Advance of Foot Surgery
If you need foot surgery, you need to plan your recovery time in advance. We have tips for preparing your home so you can rest and recover.
7 Foot Protection Tips for Runners
Running can improve cardiovascular health, increase muscle strength, relieve stress, and help manage weight.
It can also take a toll on your feet. From plantar fasciitis to stress fractures, Board-certified podiatrist David E. Biss, DMP, sees running injuries often at his private practice, Concord Podiatry, located in Concord and Plymouth, New Hampshire.
Advocating prevention as the best medicine, Dr. Bliss offers seven tips to help runners avoid foot injuries. Here’s what he tells his patients who love to run.
1. Warm-up, every time
When you’re short on time, skipping the warmup is easy, but it's a bad idea. Even if you decide to warm up with a light jog, you’re putting your muscles, tendons, and bones at unnecessary risk.
Take the time to do a few easy stretches, and then build up the intensity of your activity to get the blood flowing to your muscles, loosen tight areas, and prepare for your run.
2. Learn and practice good form
Good form improves your running efficiency, and it helps protect your feet — and the rest of you — from injury. You may even want to enlist a running coach to help you perfect your form, even if you’re an experienced runner.
Specifically, pay attention to how your hips and knees are aligned. Your foot should strike the ground directly under your knee. As you fatigue, you may struggle with this part of your form.
3. Choose your surface with care
Running on a flat, smooth surface is safest. If you’re a trail runner, opt for the smoothest surface. Remember that a dirt road is softer than asphalt and softer than concrete.
4. Get help with your shoes
This is less of a running technique than general injury-prevention advice. Having a running shoe that fits correctly and suits your foot is probably the most important thing you can do to protect your feet when running.
Once you know what kind of shoe works best for you, be sure to replace them when they begin to wear. Because your feet change over time, you may also want to visit Dr. Biss every few years to discuss how your running shoes fit.
5. Strengthen your feet
Certain stretches and exercises help improve the strength and flexibility of your foot and protect you from injury. Simple exercises, such as scrunching up a towel using your foot or picking up marbles with your toes, are great ways to strengthen your feet.
6. Design a cautious training program
Running too many miles is one of the most common ways runners injure their feet. The more miles you run each week, the more susceptible you are to stress fractures.
If you’re training for a marathon or other long race, be careful about building up mileage. Doing so will condition your muscles and expose your feet to less stress.
7. Get help from a professional
If you’re a runner and are not feeling pain, Dr. Biss can help maximize your performance and prevent injuries. He can provide a gait analysis, identify any issues with foot mechanics, and recommend the best footwear and orthotics, if necessary.
To schedule a consultation, call Concord Podiatry closest to you or text us at 351-777-6056.
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