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Understand Your Feet to Reduce Running Injuries |
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Written by Charles Carter
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Copyright © 2007 Charles Carter
We have all had some nagging muscles like our hamstrings, or discomfort in our side which we can run and train with. Though when the feet start to hurt, it can lay us up for weeks, months, or worse. Your feet and ankles are the foundation of your running and cardio program. When are feet are working correctly, they allows us to perform at our very best.
The two worse runner or jogger injuries are plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis. Both of these injuries can be cause by overuse, lack of strength, or lack of flexibility. Though your feet are tough and can take a lot, we have to understand how important they are to keep them healthy and pain free.
Your foot is important in both the landing of your steps and the pushing off as well. This is why getting the right shows for your feet are so important. If you land or push off poorly it can affect your entire chain from your ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders. Most running injuries can be attributed back to how people either land or push off.
When you land and your foot is stiff the stress can is one of the causes of shin splints. When we land with a loose foot, the effect is the runners' knees pointing inwards which causes many critical problems.
Plantar fasciitis prevents more runners from running than any other injury. The plantar fascia runs the entire length of the bottom of the foot. The two main reasons for this injury are overtraining and tight calves which put undo strain. Because so many cardio injuries are overuse they can be hard to notice until it is too late. The plantar fascia has poor blood flow which makes it slow to heal. Only rest will relieve the inflammation.
To prevent this injury it is vital that your build up your miles slowly and are on a good training program. Don't necessarily just follow your buddies program. Many cardio athletes are over trainers by nature and don't understand how they don't have to run in pain. If you have tight calves active flexibility training can start to alleviate the issues. Important for you to work on active stretching over static stretching.
The Achilles tendon, which runs up the back of the leg from the heal to the calf, is the other common body injured in runners. Overuse and rapid increases in mileage are the two main culprits that affect your Achilles tendon. Only rest will take away the effects of Achilles tendonitis. Getting a properly fitted shoe is one way to support this issue from not happening.
If you see the trend that overuse is always the main problem with running injuries. The reality is you don't have to do so many miles like most people think. With proper heart rate training, you can train with faster workouts which are less miles and less wear and tear on the body. Interval, tempo, and threshold runs are a bigger key to running success and are a lot less miles.
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