Foot injuries in athletics are oftentimes seen as unavoidable, and while they may sometimes appear to be the result of a fluke accident or an unpreventable action, that’s not always the case. If athletes work to prevent foot injuries outside of athletics, they can reduce their risk of an injury during a game or practice. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at four ways that athletes can work to reduce their risk of a foot injury during athletics.
Athlete Foot Injury Prevention
It may seem like there was little you could do to stop yourself from rolling your ankle when you stepped on an opponent’s foot, but if you are deliberate in how you approach athletic activity, you may be able to avoid these seemingly fluke injuries. Here’s how you can reduce your risk of a foot and ankle injury during athletics.
1. Targeted Strength Training – If your ankle ligaments are strong and providing immense stability to your ankles, your foot is less likely to roll when you step on an uneven surface. Physical therapy or targeted ankle exercises can help stabilize your ankles and better prepare them for the quick movements you’ll perform during athletics. Don’t just focus on your arms and legs in the weight room, make sure you’re working on your ankle health as well!
2. Shoe Choice – A number of foot-related injuries during athletics can be traced back to the shoe the athlete was wearing at the time of the injury. You need to make sure you are wearing a comfortable and supportive shoe that is designed for the activities you’re performing. Choose the right shoe for activity, and replace old or worn down shoes that are no longer providing support or stability to key areas of your foot.
3. Warm Up, Cool Down – If you want to avoid injuries during athletics, you need to take care of your feet during the crucial junctures before and after intense activity. Prior to practice or a game, you need to help your muscles prepare for the activity to come so that they aren’t overwhelmed by stress when activity begins. Take 5-10 minutes to stretch before jumping into activity so that your muscles can transition to an active state ready for stress. Similarly, when an activity is complete, take a few minutes to stretch and cool down, as this will help keep muscles loose and avoid stiffness or tightness.
4. Treat Small Injuries Before They Snowball – Finally, if you are dealing with a minor or moderate injury, don’t just attempt to keep playing through the pain. If you keep putting stress and strain on an area that’s already weakened by injury, odds are symptoms will remain and there’s a chance that you could do more damage. It’s better to sit out a game or two than to try and play through the pain, suffer a major injury and miss the rest of the season.