If you’re an avid runner or athlete who needed to undergo a foot or ankle procedure, odds are you’re wondering when you’ll be able to return to the activities you love and run again. As you might imagine, when you’re able to get back to running after foot surgery is less about waiting a certain amount of time and more about clearing certain checkpoints in your recovery. We take a look at those checkpoints so that you can better understand when you can return to running again after foot surgery.
Running Again After Foot Surgery
As we’ve said numerous times on the blog in the past, this is just general advice. For the best advice on when and how to return to running after a foot procedure, consult with your surgeon, your medical team or a physical therapist. With that said, here are some of the checkpoints you’ll want to clear before starting a running program after foot surgery:
Medical Clearance – You will not want to start running on the surgically-addressed foot until you have received medical clearance from your surgeon. Even if you are not experiencing symptoms and your foot feels great, you’ll want to reach out to your care team and make sure that you have been given the green light to run. Running puts a lot more force and strain on your foot, so even if walking feels fine, you still may not be ready for running, so check with your doctor.
Symptom Free – If you’re still dealing with symptoms, you’re probably not yet ready to start a running program. If there is still swelling, bruising, pain or discomfort in your foot, then you’re going to want to keep pursuing other treatment options until these issues resolve. You should not expect to start a running program until your symptoms have subsided.
You Can Walk Comfortably – You’ll want to go through a walking program before you start running. If you can walk comfortably for 30 minutes, and you’re not dealing with symptoms afterwards or the next day, you’ve cleared an important checkpoint.
You’re Willing To Take It Slow – Running after ankle surgery will only be advised if you are physically ready and you are willing to begin a slow and steady recovery program. Don’t expect to run for an extended period the first time out, because this exercise will be very stressful on your foot. You’ll likely begin by running for no more than 10 minutes and then slowly increasing your workload as long as you don’t experience any problematic symptoms. If you develop any pain or discomfort during or after the run, shut it down and reach out to your physician.
Running can be a great way to stay in shape and improve the health of your feet, but you need to remember that it is a stressful action that can overwhelm your feet if they are in a weakened state following a surgical procedure. Make sure you get medical clearance and follow your doctor’s specific advice so that you can protect your feet as you work to get back to a running routine after foot surgery.