(410) 721-4505
2411 Crofton Lane, Suite 25
Crofton, MD 21114
Are you one of those people who easily roll your ankles? Or maybe you’ve been feeling some tightness in the Achilles tendon (Achilles tendonitis) since you started a more intense workout. Maybe you want to get stronger ankles to protect from injury in a contact sport.
There’s no bad reason or time to strengthen and continue strengthening your ankles. By increasing strength, flexibility, and balance in the ankles, you can protect yourself from injuries. What’s a great way to improve your ankle health? Yoga!
Here are some poses you can incorporate into your stretching and strengthening routines (or just while you watch TV!):
[Please note: if this is your first time doing yoga, it’s best to find a teacher who can help you correctly practice these poses. For those who have practiced yoga, take your time with these poses and never put yourself in a position of pain to realize these poses.]
If you have any issues with some of these poses, or notice pain while trying any exercise, make an appointment with our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brad Toll. He will assess your feet and find the appropriate treatments to get you back to being active. Call Crofton Podiatry at (410) 721-4505, which provides services to Crofton, Gambrills, Odenton, and Bowie, MD areas.
Are you growing a little one in your belly? Congratulations!
It’s incredible how the body knows to make changes to not only support the weight of the growing baby but also to help prepare for the birthing process. During pregnancy, the heart rate increases, blood flow increases, and soft tissues and bones stretch and shift to make room. As a result of these changes, the mother-to-be’s body can experience a lot of symptoms, like ligament pain, back aches, and swelling hands and feet.
For the feet in particular, here are some things that you can expect (although each woman’s pregnancy can be different):
If you are experiencing moderate to severe pain in your feet during pregnancy, see our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brad Toll to help you figure out the best solution. Pay special attention to any uneven swelling in the legs or feet, as this can indicate an issue with blood clots. To make an appointment, call Crofton Podiatry at (410) 721-4505, which provides services to Crofton, Gambrills, Odenton, and Bowie, MD areas.
The last thing we usually want to do after a foot or ankle injury is to be active and exercise. Or maybe there are some that would be itching to get back in the game. Regardless of what your attitude may be, it is important that you find ways to stay active and healthy. It will improve circulation and promote healing too.
Your normal routine for exercise might include exercises that use your feet, so to help you stay on target, we’d like to suggest a few exercise alternatives that you can do when you have an injured foot or ankle. Consult your doctor to make sure that these exercises are okay for you to do.
Cardiovascular Workouts: Most people will think of running and the elliptical, but why not try swimming, rowing, and cycling (if the injury allows you to do so)? These exercises put minimal strain on the feet while working your heart out – literally!
Ab/Core Workouts: Many workouts involving your abs can be done on the floor, with no use of the feet. Crunches, “beach chairs”, hanging leg raises, and side-to-side oblique toe touches can all work out the core.
Upper Body Workouts: You can do many upper body workouts sitting with free weights and on workout machines. Work your biceps, triceps, and lats. You can also do pull ups – use a step stool to get up and down gently.
Lower Body Workouts: Use machines to do leg curls and leg extensions to exercise your quads and hamstrings without straining your feet or ankles.
Push Ups: Work on your push up game – if you only have one side injured, put it on top of the other foot while you do your push ups. You can also modify them by going on your knees instead of your feet.
Yoga: There are some yoga poses you can do that do not involve hardcore use of your feet or ankles. Practice some balancing poses (on the uninjured foot) and core strengthening poses.
It is important to remember that pain should not be a part of your workout. If any part of your body hurts or shifts to compensate for the injured foot, you may overstrain the uninjured leg. It is best to find another exercise instead.
Do you have an injury or need guidance on exercises you can do with your injury? Make an appointment with our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brad Toll at Crofton Podiatry by calling (410) 721-4505. Our team is ready to assist you at our Crofton, MD office, which also serves the surrounding Gambrills, Odenton, and Bowie areas.
2411 Crofton Lane, Suite 25
Crofton, MD 21114