Spring and Summer
Dr. Robert Joseph, Podiatrist, has some important foot health steps you can take just in time for the more active days ahead.
Keeping Fit With Springtime Training
With the arrival of spring come changes to warmer weather. For fitness enthusiasts like runners, cyclists and hikers, it also means a change from indoor to outdoor activities. The change from indoor to outdoor training can be enough to aggravate old athletic injuries or promote new injuries. The change to outdoor training surfaces can increase the physical stress on the body. Not taking these differences seriously with training can lead to injuries like tendonitis, stress fractures and capsulitis of the foot and ankle. For example, a long distance run on a treadmill is not as stressful on the body as the same long distance run on a paved road. A runner that suddenly changes from running on a treadmill to a paved road may risk injury. Simple precautions can be taken however to avoid injury when changing from indoor to outdoor activities.
Take Time to Adjust
When changing from an indoor to outdoor training program, allow your body time to adjust to the increased demands of a new terrain. Consider temporarily reducing the distance, duration or frequency of training on the new surface until your body adjusts to the demands. The amount and duration of adjustment may vary among people depending on an individual’s level of physical fitness and how great the difference is between the outdoor and indoor terrain.
Proper Shoe gear
Shoe gear selection plays a critical role in athletic performance and preventing injury. The body experiences a range of physical stresses and challenges that vary among sports and between training surfaces. Shoe gear helps distribute these stresses through the foot and body. Improper shoe gear can increase the likelihood of athletic injury and limit athletic performance. Consider these tips next time you purchase athletic shoes:
• Be aware of your “general foot type”. Feet range in size, shape and structure and the differences affect how your body manages the stress of athletic activity. High arched feet are more rigid and less adept at shock absorption than flatfeet which often over-pronate and are susceptible to other injuries. People with high arched feet may have a tendency for ankle sprains and can require shoe gear with greater shock absorbing properties than others.
• Have your foot measured with each shoe purchase. A person’s feet can change size and shape throughout a lifetime. A Brannock device is a useful although imperfect device for measuring foot width as well as foot length. The device is a guide, not a substitute for trying a shoe on. A proper length shoe will have a thumb width distance between the longest toe and the end of the shoe. Always size a shoe while wearing the sock to be worn with the activity. An orthotic should also be worn with shoe sizing if used.
• Replace shoe gear regularly. The support of a shoe rests in the stiffness and flexibility of the “midsole”. The midsole typically expires after 350-500 miles of use. This often occurs before any major evidence of shoe wear that people typically relate with a need for new shoes such as hole in the shoe.
Can Orthotics Enhance Athletic Performance?
Fatigue and pain are obvious factors that limit athletic performance. Abnormal foot mechanics is a less obvious factor that can also limit performance. Abnormal foot mechanics can alter how your foot and leg manage physical stresses through joints and muscles. These stresses promote fatigue and injury at the expense of athletic speed, power and endurance. Orthotics can improve foot biomechanics to promote foot health and better athletic performance. Optimum foot mechanics varies among sports and is dependent on the specific activity, the stance or posture related to that activity and the overall foot type of the athlete.
Don’t Forget Your Socks
Most athletes appreciate the importance of proper shoe selection in preventing athletic injury. Fewer athletes recognize how socks play an equally important role in preventing injury. Proper socks can help reduce friction between the foot and shoe to reduce the chance of injury. Friction can promote injuries such as capsulitis, neuritis, sesamoiditis as well as blister, corn and callus formation.
A sock’s ability to reduce friction depends on the sock fiber composition, how the fibers are woven and the natural ability of the fibers to absorb and wick water away from the foot. Sock fibers that compress easily and retain water offer the least protection from friction while fibers that retain shape and ability to draw water away from the foot offer the most protection. Natural fibers such as cotton and wool retain more moisture and compress more easily than synthetic fibers such acrylic and coolmax. Cotton retains three times more moisture than acrylic and fourteen times more moisture than coolmax. A sock composed of a synthetic and natural fiber blend may be combined with a synthetic liner to optimize sheer reduction and moisture control during athletic activity. To be sure one has the proper sock, shoe and shoe size combination, always wear the socks you plan to use with the athletic activity when you select a shoe. Studies suggest that failure to do so may result in incorrect shoe sizing as much as 77% of the time. So the next time you ask yourself if it is time for a new pair of shoes, also consider whether its time for a new pair of socks.
Make the most of these practical tips with the changes in season and consider how you may need a change in routine, shoes or socks to keep healthy and active.
