The foot is an incredibly complex extremity made up of a network of bones, tendons, ligaments and muscles that all have to work together in harmony. One disgruntled cog, and the whole machine can stop functioning.
Over the next few weeks we are going to look at the most common foot injuries and thier ailments. Learn what causes them and, more importantly, how runners can avoid them or recover from them
Plantar Fasciitis
Nearly every runner knows the plantar fascia tendon that runs lengthwise across the bottom of the foot. Plantar fasciitis is that sharp, stabbing pain at the bottom of your foot. As with all tendonitis issues, the beast can rear its ugly head sometimes out of nowhere and drag on for what feels like an eternity.
An overuse injury, plantar fasciitis can be caused by a biomechanical issue, improper or old running shoes, increasing training volume or intensity too quickly, or even from tight or weak calf muscles—the body is an interconnected machine, after all.
Treating plantar fasciitis is a matter of identifying what your root cause is, making sure you're
Treatment is ongoing, and once the pain subsides, runners who are prone to plantar problems should continue to stretch the feet,
Treatment should include rolling the affected foot on a tennis ball or my favourite a old diet coke bottel filled with water and then frozen. Roll your foot over it every time you get out of the shower whilst getting dry. Wearing a plancture specific sock whilst running and for around 20 minutes after running will speed recovery.
It should also be part of your running routine tosee a physio once a month, your physio will get to know you and will be able to catch niggles before they become injuries and get you back on your feet quicker.
Tracking your shoe milage and changing your shoes before they reach 500 miles is the general rule of thumb. But everyone is different with differing tride patterns on diiferent surfaces and wieghts, so one persons 700 miles maybe another persons 500 in shoes terms.
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