Welcome to my blog! My name is Geoff. I have always been a sporty kind of chap. I love to go long distance running and I also play football and rugby. One day after a long run, I had a terrible pain in my foot. I thought I had just been overdoing it a little bit, so I decided to rest up. A week later, it was no better. I was still in a lot of pain and had to drop out of a couple of football matches. My doctor sent me to see a podiatrist who examined my foot and explained I had damaged a ligament. The podiatrist helped me to get back to full health. I decided to start this blog to explain the importance of good foot care.
Suffering from foot pain can be a really debilitating condition, especially if you are training at a cross-training gym. These gyms combine a variety of different cardiovascular, strength and power movements that can place great deals of stress on the body. Given the intensity of these workouts, the ankle and various parts of the foot can sometimes become painful and tight. However, this is often due to poor form or inadequate training shoes. This guide will offer a few essential tips on how to minimise foot pain and ankle strains to enable you to continue training without the need for constant recovery.
Stable Base, Stable Body
Having stable feet is essential for cross-training. Not only will it enhance your lifting energy through better form by allowing you to push through the heels and drive up, but it'll also minimise the risk of injury by encouraging you to follow the correct arcs of the lift from the floor. During big power lifts the risk for pain in the feet is at it's greatest. Having a good solid pair of crosstraining shoes will help to maintain stability, as closer contact with the floor allows for a better grip. Crosstraining shoes do this by minimising cushion that running shoes have so that when you clench your toes, which is a natural reaction, you clench a solid surface rather than an unstable one. This prevents the feet from rocking side to side, which in turn can cause the muscles in them to cramp up and the ankles to potentially push outwards. Some shoes even have wooden wedges build in to create an even more solid base, with the wedge helping to position the ankles and hips better.
Myofascial Release
It seems weird to think that a bad back could be caused by a tight lower body. However, if the bottoms of the feet are tight, then this can work it's way up the leg and to the back. Frequent deep tissue massages of the bottom of the feet can release a lot of tension and can even be credited for helping tension headaches. Tennis balls and hard plastic massage balls can be purchased and placed on the floor. You can then apply the desired pressure and move the ball around under your foot to allow for myofascial release. This is a deep tissue massage that targets the muscles and tendons, releasing tightness and encouraging better stability. Ask a podiatrist for more information about your foot pain if it continues.
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