Like millions around the nation, you’ve probably made a few New Year’s resolutions for 2014. If your new year’s resolution involves a new fitness goal, it is important that you understand that not all fitness is good fitness. It is very easy to hurt yourself trying to improve your health, and whether your goals range from something like the Walk to Cure Arthritis in Annapolis on May 3rd, or the more adventuresome EnduraFit EagleMan Triathlon hosted in Cambridge in October, it is always important to listen to your body, and know your boundaries.
All too often we see patients here at Crofton Podiatry who simply didn’t seek help, and who weren’t listening to their bodies injure their feet or ankles trying to push themselves too hard too quickly. Unfortunately, these injuries almost always end up pushing people further behind in their fitness goals and can cause a vicious cycle of injury as they later try to catch up from ‘lost time’.
For your personal health, it is always important to talk to experts in your area to create an effective plan for safely attaining your goals. Running and other high-impact sports place the foot and ankle under very high levels of repeated stress. It is no wonder why the majority of the top 10 most common running injuries are directly related to our feet. Take a look at them below so you can be on the lookout for these cumbersome problems.
The 10 most common running injuries:
- Runner’s Knee
- Stress Fracture
- Shin Splints
- Achilles tendinitis
- Muscle Pull
- Ankle Sprains
- Heel Pain a.k.a. “Plantar Fasciitis”
- Blisters
- Iliotibial band syndrome (tightening and pain on the outside of the upper thigh and knee)
Fortunately, most of these problems can be prevented with just a little extra time for planning and precaution. Dressing appropriately (especially being ‘shoe-smart’), warming up with stretches, running wisely, and listening to your body all go great distances in preventing personal damage.
If you’re concerned about any of these injuries above, or would like to know more ways to help prevent these common fitness injuries so that you can stay on top of your New Year’s resolution, feel free to visit us here at Crofton Podiatry in Crofton, MD or any other specialist local to your area. It’s all about getting you well on your way to completing your goals for 2014.
By Brad Toll