Sports and physical activities play a great role in staying fit and healthy. Moreover, it helps in developing personal skills, self-confidence and friendships. However, apart from these positive outcomes, sports come with the risk for feet and ankle injuries. While injuries are inevitable in any sport, foot related injuries can be fatal and so taking appropriate precautionary measure is important. This article will give you three tips to protect yourself from feet and ankle injuries.
Take warm ups seriously
Always make it a common practice to warm up your muscles before playing any sports. Warming up your muscles is one of the first and fundamental steps you can take in preventing sports injuries, especially injuries related to your feet and ankles.
Despite the significant warning given by many athletic professionals and trainers, some still choose to skip this step when it comes to sports. If you skip warming up because of complicated routines involved in it and you can’t commit that much time- then opt for simple and quick warm ups that takes at least 5 minutes. This can be taking a 5 minutes’ walk to loosen up your muscles or jogging in a place or around the ground for few minutes to improve your blood flow. The key here is to never skip warm ups.
Choose the right footwear
Now choosing the right footwear comes with many considerations. Remember that a soccer boots and a football cleats are not the same. There are different athletic shoes designed for each sport and so make sure you are investing in the right type.
Apart from this, make sure you are getting the right fit – not too tight and not too loose. Experts say that a good sports shoe should feel like an extension to the feet. Never purchase shoes too tight hoping it’ll stretch with time; sports shoes typically don’t work that way. The right fit will keep your feet and ankles smooth and easily moving without any stress during the sport, thereby reducing the risk of injuries.
Alongside, make sure you are replacing your footwear once they start to wear out. Pay close attention to the shelf life of your shoes. Playing while wearing worn out shoes can increase the risk of feet and ankle injuries.
Get adequate rest
Many don’t consider resting as a preventive approach in reducing feet or ankle injuries. Rest and recovery are crucial to sports performance. You should give enough time and break for your feet and overall body to rest and reduce the inbuilt stress.
Apart from getting adequate sleep, take regular breaks during your game, hydrate yourself and also make sure to schedule “off” days during the week to allow your muscles time to recover and repair. Not to mention, hydrating is also equally important along with resting as dehydrating can increase your chances of fatigue and result in feet and ankle injuries.
As you can see, taking preventive measures to keep your feet and ankle away from sports related injuries only takes few precise considerations. Once you have developed these habits and practices into your sports routine, make sure you are maintaining them consistently.
