Running is a great way to stay in shape and improve your overall fitness, but the activity can be particularly hard on your feet. Your feet absorb a significant impact every time they strike the ground, and they’ll perform this action thousands of times over the course of a run. When your run is over, you’ll want to pay attention to your feet and do what you can to help them recover from the trauma of exercise. In today’s blog, we share some tips on how you can help your feet recover after a long run.
Helping Your Feet Recover After A Grueling Run
Here’s a look at some of the ways that you can take care of your feet after a long run so that they are ready the next time you want to lace up your running shoes.
1. Ice – As we mentioned above, running is a traumatic experience on the muscles and soft tissues in your feet. In response to this trauma, your feet may swell a little and begin to ache. You can work to control swelling by using ice packs or soaking your feet in a cold bath. These cold temperatures will lead to the constriction of blood vessels, which will limit fluid movement in and our of your feet, in turn limiting swelling.
2. Elevate – Similarly, you can help to control swelling by elevating your feet after your run. This will ensure gravity works in your favor to pull fluid away from your feet instead of making it easier for it to pool there. Elevate your feet above your heart for 10-15 minutes a couple of times throughout the day after a long run.
3. Gentle Massage – A gentle massage can also help to reduce some general soreness that you are experiencing in your feet. You can certainly book a professional massage, but it’s probably easier to just massage your feet for a couple of minutes or gently glide them over a foam roller or a tennis ball to relieve soreness.
4. Clean Any Blisters – Longer runs can also make it more likely that blisters develop, and they can linger unless they are properly cared for. Wash and clean the area before applying a soft pad or band-aid over the area to offer it some additional protection. Get your feet out of any wet socks to limit sheering that could exacerbate a blister.
5. Treat Small Injuries – Finally, if you are dealing with any acute or chronic foot pain during or after your run, consider syncing up with a foot specialist like Dr. Silverman. We will take a closer look at your feet so that we can figure out what’s going on and how to best treat it. If you let small injuries linger, they are more likely to worsen, so treat them in their infancy. Let us help put an end to your foot discomfort today.