Exercises to Prevent Foot Injuries from Running

Ignoring the health of your foot, ankle, and toes will come at a cost. Regular stretching and exercising of the feet and ankles increase the range of motion to provide the best support and avoid overuse injuries. Whether you are a weekend warrior, an avid runner, or mall walker adding foot and ankle workout routines is very important for the health of your foot. Weakness of the lower extremities leaves the feet susceptible to foot running injury, sore achilles tendon, achilles tendonitis, spraining, straining, and overuse injury. Foot and ankle exercises improve balance, joint flexibility, and strength.

Before starting any exercise, warm up with at least 5 minutes of low-impact activity such as walking. As you warm up, get into the foot exercises to prevent running injury or sore achilles tendon, and if you are not sure how to go about it or experience pain, contact a podiatrist.

1. Ankle Pump Up

Static stretching improves the upward movement of the foot and ankle. This exercise increases the upward movement of the foot and strengthens the muscles of the lower leg.

You can stand, sit, or hold on to a counter when performing the exercise.

• Point the toes upward like you are trying to touch your toes then hold this position for 30 seconds which maintaining the tension then release it. Repeat these five times for each leg.

2. Bent Knee Wall Stretch

This exercise is helpful in the recovery from disuse muscle atrophy. It stretches the sole muscle inside the calf.

• Line up in front of a wall pressing your hands against it for balance. Place one foot behind and the other in front. With both heels solidly on the floor bend your knees slightly and hold for 30 seconds then release. Do three sets for each leg and increase them as you continue.

3. Big Toe Stretches

The big toe should have a wide range of motion. You can stretch and relieve the pain of the toe by

• Sit up straight in a chair and let the feet rest flat on the floor. Raise the left foot and let it rest on the right thigh. Use your hands to stretch the big toe down, up, and to the side, holding each position for 5 seconds. Repeat this at least 10 times then switch to the other foot.

4. Toe Splay

It improves the strength of the muscles and the control of the muscles.

• While sitting straight and the feet resting straight on the ground, spread the toes wide apart and hold for 5 seconds. Repeat these 10 times. After some time, you could try looping a rubber band around the toes to build their strength.

5. Plantar Fascia Massage

This exercise directly massages the plantar fascia. It can also be used for the treatment of plantar fasciitis is the inflammation of the plantar fascia.

While seated, get one leg over the opposite knee and with one hand pull the toes until the foot is completely dorsiflexed. You may not experience pain but tension can be felt. Using the other hand massage, the bottom of the foot moving to the front of the heel. Do these three times a day, 10 minutes a day.

Before engaging in any new exercises or stretch routine check with your podiatrist. Keep your ankles and feet healthy by using the above exercise to prevent discomfort, ease existing pain, and reduce the risk of injury. Viagra is a substance called sildenafil, an inhibitor of Viagra phosphodiesterase. This means that we have the enzyme phosphodiesterase in our body, which affects the blood flow in the cavernous bodies of the penis and in the vessels. If this enzyme is blocked, then this very blood flow will increase. Read more about this at https://sdarcwellness.com/buy-viagra-online/. If you have questions about caring for your foot running injury, you should reach out to a foot specialist for his/her expert advice. Feel free to contact our office to make an appointment with our podiatrist. Our foot and ankle doctor, Dr. Ejodamen Shobowale (fondly called Dr. Sho) can provide you with the care you need to get you up and running on your feet in no time.