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A foot is everything when it comes to living an active life. Without feet and all the lower extremities, life cannot be imagined; that is why fractures are the most horrible conditions as they take a lot of time to heal and allow you to live a physically active life once again.
If you want to prevent foot and ankle injuries, consider this article.
Overview of common injuries
Healthy feet and ankles are important. They help move the entire body without any problems. If your foot is painful, you cannot even afford to take a few steps down the floor.
Thus, neglecting foot and ankle care can lead to physical disability. Many types of injuries can cause foot and ankle pain.
Your feet are made up of the following parts and thus injuries to the following parts can cause foot and ankle injuries.
- Bones
- Muscles
- Cartilage
- Tendon
- Ligament
- Nerves
Bones are part of our skeletal system. Muscles are found throughout the body and they are mainly there to provide cushioning, protection and ventilation.
Cartilage is a protective tissue that is found all over a bone end. It is there to reduce friction and friction-related damage in the concerned joint.
Tendons and ligaments are both strips of soft tissue that offer connectivity in a joint. The only difference is that a tendon provides a muscle-to-bone connection while a ligament connects one bone to another.
Nerves are part of a joint that transmit pain signals from the inflamed joint part to the brain through the spinal cord.
All these parts can get injured causing inflammation and pain.
If you need to consult a doctor for any foot or ankle injuries, visit the following link: orthopedic doctor in West Delhi.
Ways to protect your feet and ankles
If you want to stay physically active forever, consider the following.
Appropriate Footwear
Choose the right footwear. Wear comfortable shoes that don’t hurt when you walk or run. Look for shoes with a firm heel counter, ample arch support, and a cushioned sole. Discard shoes that are excessively worn out or do not fit correctly.
Warm-Up and Stretch
If not much, at least warm up for 5-10 minutes.
Before engaging in physical activities, warm-up and stretching can prepare your feet and ankles for strenuous activities and reduce the risk of injuries due to lack of flexibility and sudden movements.
A warm-up increases blood flow throughout your body and enhances flexibility; stretching helps improve the range of motion and prevent stiffness.
Incorporate exercises like ankle circles, heel raises, and toe taps to warm up your lower extremities and improve joint mobility.
Strengthening Exercises
Pay attention to your foot muscles. They are crucial to keep joint-related soft injuries away. They protect the feet from external harmful traumas and help keep the internal structures safe and intact.
You can try the following exercises for muscle strengthening.
Calf Raises: The soleus and gastrocnemius muscles in the calf are the focus of this workout. It entails standing with the heels raised off the ground and lowering them back down gradually.
Toe Curls: Toe curls are exercises that focus on strengthening the muscles of the foot, particularly those responsible for flexing the toes. You can accomplish this by picking up little items like marbles with your toes or by putting a towel on the ground and using the toes to scrunch it toward you.
Ankle Eversion/Inversion Exercises: These exercises target the muscles responsible for ankle movement in the inward (inversion) and outward (eversion) directions. This can include using resistance bands or ankle weights to perform controlled movements.
Strength Training: Furthermore, include strength exercises 2-3 times per week as well in your workout regimen.
For a more elaborate approach, talk to a certified physical trainer. They will help find more such exercises.
Healthy Weight
If you are obese, you are more prone to foot and ankle injuries. Carrying extra pounds can strain the joints and lead to conditions like plantar fasciitis, arthritis, and flat feet. Here, the best preventative measure is to reduce your weight.
You can consider the following tips to reduce your weight.
- Eat only as much food as necessary.
- Exercise regularly.
- Increase protein-rich foods to feel full for long.
- Avoid junk food.
- Drink enough water.
- Choose stairs over the escalator.
- Walk more and abandon a sedentary lifestyle as much as possible.
- Talk to a doctor to rule out any possibility of genetic weight gain.
If you need to learn more about dealing with non-genetic obesity, talk to a well-certified dietitian. The nutritional specialist will help you plan your eating habits in such a way that you can eat less without cutting back on essential nutrients.
Bodily Observations
Don’t strain yourself any more if you are tired and worn out. Take enough rest so your body can recover from the stress already sustained throughout the body.
Similarly, if your feet and ankles are painful, it could be because of some underlying problems like tendonitis, bursitis, etc. The best thing is that you don’t put any more strain on your foot and other structures and it will help prevent further injuries.
If you experience pain in your foot right now, consult a doctor right away for a proper diagnosis and personalised treatment.
Cross-Training, Gradual Progression and Rest
If you exercise regularly to strengthen muscles, don’t overdo any particular exercise as it might cause strain and sprain injuries. To avoid overdoing a particular exercise, use cross-training.
Cross-training is where a person has to engage in a variety of different exercises rather than perform the same ones repetitively. It helps exercise and train muscles and other body parts from several points and dimensions, averting the possibility of soft-tissue injuries.
In addition, always remember that you don’t increase your intensity while doing a particular exercise all of a sudden. Instead, resort to doing it slowly and gradually.
Enough rest is also important. After each training session, ensure that you replenish your body with adequate rest and relaxation.
Conclusion
If you follow these suggestions, you will keep your foot away from a range of injuries. However, for more, you can connect with an experienced orthopedic doctor.
Furthermore, suppose you already have foot and ankle issues. In that case, visit the following link: best foot and ankle surgeon in Delhi. Consult a doctor as soon as possible.
