Preventing Foot Injuries During Exercise

On an average day, you take 5,000 to 10,000 steps. And that doesn’t even include exercise or sports. With every step you take, your feet have to absorb a force that is one and a half times your body weight. If you run, jump, or do high impact aerobics, the force is several times your body weight. And even though your feet are engineering marvels that are designed to bear this load, they are still susceptible to injuries.

Both men and women exercisers can be at risk for foot problems but women create their own foot troubles by torturing their feet with shoes that are too small, too narrow, or too high. Pointy shoes and high heels are murder on the feet, not to mention a pain in the lower back. The “sexy” posture (arched back and protruding buttocks) that is achieved with high heels is actually a compensation mechanism so you don’t fall flat on your face with every step you take. A University of Southern California study found that 88 percent of the female subjects were wearing shoes that were too small for their feet. Dr. George Canlas, orthopedic and sports medicine doctor at St. Luke’s Hospital and Sprain and Strain Clinic at Alabang, once told me that the majority of foot problems among his female patients are due to shoes that are too small or narrow. A woman who wears uncomfortable shoes all the time will surely experience foot injuries during exercise even if the conditions are perfect because she is already starting out on the wrong foot, so to speak.

Ditto for both men and women who have anatomical problems like flat feet, high arches or pronated feet (feet that roll inward), and uneven leg length. Think of your feet as the tires of a car. Tires that are not properly aligned will not last as long as they should.

Pain in the heel of the foot
This is by far the most common type of foot pain. The medical term is “plantar fasciitis”. Plantar means the sole of the foot and fasciitis means inflammation of the fascia or connective tissue that runs from the heel to the ball of the foot. The pain starts as a tender spot in the arch near the heel. The dead giveaway that you have plantar fasciitis is pain that is the worst in the morning when you first get out of bed but that gets better as the day gets longer. The pain returns if you do any kind of vigorous or prolonged activity like aerobics, running, or dancing.

Heel pain can be caused by any of the following: Doing any kind of weight-bearing activity without the right shoes, doing too much of the same or new activity, being overweight, anatomical malalignments, standing for long periods in high heels or thin-soled flat shoes, and inflexible calves/Achilles tendon (found at the back of the ankle).

Plantar fasciitis can be prevented by daily stretching the calves and plantar fascia. This is a must if you are involved in regular vigorous exercise or sports. To stretch the calves, position your toes on top of a stair rung and slowly lower your heel down. To stretch the plantar fascia, sit down and extend one leg in front of you. Wrap a belt or towel around your toes and pull them toward you. Hold the stretches for 30 to 60 seconds. Do them once a day for prevention but if you already have plantar fasciitis, do them once an hour throughout the day until the fascia heals.

People with anatomical foot problems should consult an orthopedic doctor for the right kind of orthotics (special insoles that are inserted into shoes). There are three basic types – the cushioning kind if you need more padding in the soles of your feet, the support kind for flat or high arches, and the combination kind that provides cushioning and support. People with uneven leg length usually need a shoe lift in the shorter leg. Otherwise, pain will develop in the foot on the side of the longer leg. People with pronated feet need orthotics or athletic shoes that will control the inward rolling of their feet.

Here is a simple way to figure out if you are at risk for foot problems because of your anatomy. Wet your feet and walk across any dry surface. If your whole foot shows up, you have flat feet. If only a part of your foot shows up, you have high arches.

Pain in the ball of the foot
The symptoms are a burning or numb feeling in the ball of the foot. It is caused by repeated pressure in that area that squishes the toes together. Women are the usual victims because of their propensity for choosing shoes that are too small, narrow, tight, or high. They purposely choose small shoes because they think big feet are unfeminine or they are in denial about their shoe size (feet usually get bigger after pregnancy because of the sudden weight gain and never go back to their original size).

The simple solution to this problem is to wear shoes that are wide enough for your feet. Your toes should be able to wiggle inside your shoes, athletic or otherwise.

How to have your heels and wear them too
Like drug addicts who can’t survive without their daily fix, women with a shoe addiction are not likely to give up their high heels just like that. If this is you, here are some tips from Francesca Thompson, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in foot and ankle problems, who was interviewed many years back by Vogue magazine:

  • Use a cushioning orthotic to lessen the impact on the front of the foot
  • Stretch daily to lengthen the calf muscle
  • Alternate high heels with low heels
  • Thompson ’s final word of advice: “My advice about heels is to treat them sparingly – kind of like a hot fudge sundae.”

Shoe advice for everyone
Here are some tips from the John Hopkins Medical Newsletter: Wearing comfortable shoes that fit well is the first line of defense in preventing foot problems. Foot width may increase with age, so have your feet measured before buying shoes. Buy shoes with shock-absorbent soles and good padding in the heels. Low-heeled shoes are more comfortable and less damaging to the feet than high-heeled shoes. How much you weight also plays an important role in whether you develop foot pain. Losing weight will take pressure off tired, over-taxed feet.

Continue reading here: Yoga Becoming a Competitive Sport

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