If you are a runner chances are that your feet are going to get sore from time to time.
In order to relieve some of the soreness and to help make your feet feel the best that they can, it’s important to know how to properly take care of your lower extremities. Your feet, like any other area of your body, needs to be tended to in order to remain in peak condition. With that in mind, Dr. Ian S. Goldbaum is here to offer you these helpful solutions aimed to reduce the post-running soreness that can often attack your feet.
“I treat runners every day in my practice,” said Dr. Goldbaum, who has offices in Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. “The main complaint from these patients is either a lingering soreness, a pain that can sometimes actually keep them off their feet completely. In some cases this pain is fixed through advanced treatments such as robotic laser therapy, but there are also several preventative measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of sustaining a more serious injury.”
It’s All About the Shoes
The first thing you want to do is make sure that you have a good pair of running shoes.
If you don’t have the right shoes you may find that your feet are much sorer than they have to be. Make sure that the shoes that you get fit you correctly and this may mean that you get your foot measured before buying a pair of shoes. It’s also important to remember that not all feet are created equal, so you also want to make sure that the shoes you pick support your feet in all the right areas.
Need more help? Check out Dr. Goldbaum’s guide to picking the perfect pair of running shoes.
Alleviating Soreness
It’s also important to know how to make your feet feel better once they are sore.
The easiest option — especially for avid tennis players in South Florida — is to use a tennis ball to roll away the pain. This simple stretch can be done standing or sitting by placing the ball under your foot’s arch and then rolling it back and forth. Once you’ve found a good rhythm, move the ball around to the parts of your foot that need the attention.
In more serious cases, if your feet become extremely swollen following a run then you may be suffering from inflammation. To help with this situation you can put the arch of your foot — using a cloth to separate your foot from the bottle — over the middle of the bottle. You can then rock the foot back and forward allowing the bottle to roll underneath, which eases the inflammation of your plantar fascia.
If you are suffering from constant pain or inflammation under your foot — a condition known as plantar fasciitis — check out our recent article on the benefits of robotic laser therapy for treating heel pain.
Trim Those Toenails!
A few minutes clipping could save you from a lot of pain if you are a runner.
If your toenails are left unattended for too long, they may grow long and wild enough to rub the shoe or cut other nearby toes as well — this, of course, would result in a fair amount of pain. For this reason, you should always set aside some time to at least cut your nails, remembering to file them straight since edges that are round can lead to ingrown toenails.
Need a more detailed guide? Check our Dr. Goldbaum’s tips for trimming toenails.
In the end, these are only a few of the methods that you can use to help relieve the soreness that you get in your feet from running. It is best to try to make sure that you have the right pair of shoes so that you won’t have to relieve as much soreness at the end of your running adventure. If you notice that the pain in your feet is not relieved by any of these at-home methods, then it is likely time to consult your doctor.
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The content on this website is for informational purposes only. Do not rely or act upon information from www.DelrayBeachPodiatry.com without seeking professional medical advice. If you live in South Florida and would like a consultation with Dr. Ian Goldbaum, a podiatric physician and surgeon with over 30 years of experience, please see our contact information below:
BOCA/DELRAY
16244 S. Military Trail #290, Delray Beach, FL 33484
561-499-0033
BOYNTON BEACH
8198 Jog Road #100, Boynton Beach, FL 33472
561-499-0033
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