Understand Your Feet to Reduce Running Injuries

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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About The Author: Charles Carter, BS in Exercise Science is
President of LIVE, llc of
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