Foot Care Tips: A Guide For Athletes

Are you into sports? Whether professionally or recreational, proper foot care is critical for the best experience and performance in your sporting activities. Your feet exert a significant amount of force on your connective tissue and bones every time they hit the ground. This force travels to other parts of your body like the ankles and legs. For this reason, managing these forces correctly is critical in preventing injuries. And the most effective way to do this is to exercise proper foot care.

Fortunately, you can take care of your feet in several ways and avoid pain and injuries. Here's a simple guide to help you.

Mind What You Put On Your Feet

Your choice of shoes has a huge impact on the health of your feet when engaging in sports. You should therefore choose footwear designed for your sport. For instance, if you do a lot of jumping like in basketball, you will need heavy-soled shoes with high tops to offer maximum cushioning and ankle stability. If you're into tennis, shoes with enough ankle support will also come in handy. The idea is to know your sport and select sport-specific footwear.

You can visit a specialised sports footwear store to get the right shoes for your sport. Asking a sports podiatrist for recommendations can also help. However, remember to buy more than a pair and alternate them if necessary. Using a single pair for too long will result in reduced efficiency in providing the much-needed cushioning and support for your feet.

Warm-Up

Warming up before your sporting activities may be standard procedure. Does your warm-up routine include your feet and ankles? Feet and ankle exercises can make all the difference in preventing injuries when engaged in sports by helping strengthen them. Your exercises don't have to be complicated. Simple exercises like toe stretches and ankle rotation are enough to strengthen your feet in readiness for your sporting activities. However, skip the bouncy stretches that may injure your tendons and muscles.

Don't Ignore Pain

Muscle soreness is usual and can be expected after rigorous physical activity. However, too much pain shouldn't be ignored. Knowing when to stop is another proper way to take proper care of your feet. Continuing with your sporting activity through pain is an invitation to foot-related problems like heel spurs, strains and sprains. Therefore, don't ignore your pain. Slow down or stop at the first sign of discomfort or pain before you suffer a serious injury.

For more information, visit a sports podiatry clinic. 


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