If you’ve decided to return to sports after a break, you’re presumably aware that you’ll need to ease back in. Most people don’t need to be reminded that after a long time of inactivity, they will have lost flexibility, strength, and skill, and they will be wary of any potential injuries. Even the brightest and most well-intentioned people may make mistakes, and one of the most ignored regions of the body is the foot.

 

Despite the fact that our feet are some of the most used and significant parts of our bodies in sports, we don’t train them in the same way that we do other areas of our bodies. The majority of athletes stretch their calves and hamstrings before participating in physical exercise, but the feet are rarely given the same care. Despite the fact that if the feet are hurt, most sports are out of the question, at least temporarily.

 

When most people think about foot injuries, they envision a broken toe or a sprained ankle. Plantar fasciitis is, in fact, one of the most prevalent injuries to the foot and the body as a whole. We’ve talked about Plantar fasciitis previously, but in a nutshell, it’s an inflammation of the ligament that connects the heel to the toes caused by repeated stretching that produces micro-tears in the ligament’s fiber.

 

Fortunately, there is a stretch that can assist you in avoiding this. Simply squeeze your foot’s arch as if attempting to grab something, hold for 20 seconds, and then release. Do this 20 times each day for each foot to help prevent Plantar fasciitis.

 

Another area where the feet are sometimes disregarded is hygiene. While not everyone gives equal care to their feet when showering, athletes should wash and scrub their feet on a daily basis. Furthermore, utilizing a pumice stone, foot bath, or lotion can help maintain your feet’s skin healthy and prevent concerns like cracked heels, which aren’t significant ailments but can keep you out of the game.

 

Finally, wearing the proper footwear is critical to avoiding injury because different activities necessitate different safeguards. Joggers, for example, will want shock absorption, while yoga practitioners will demand flexibility, and ball players will require a durable exterior. See our blog on picking the proper sports shoe for a more in-depth look at how to choose the greatest shoe.